The following are news announcements made during the past week.
French Mailboxes Deliver Information Via RFID
La Poste, France’s postal service, has added Near Field Communication (NFC) RFID stickers to mailboxes throughout Paris’ 4th arrondissement, a section of the capital city situated on the right bank of the River Seine, and housing Paris City Hall and Notre-Dame de Paris, among other attractions. The NFC stickers are provided by Connecthings, a French company headquartered in Paris that provides and implements contactless mobile services using NFC, peer-to-peer and QR codes, and other types of two-dimensional bar codes, designed to transmit information to mobile devices via a camera. The NFC stickers, which automatically and wirelessly share information with NFC-enabled mobile phones, are built to create smart mailboxes that can provide passersby with such information as the nearest post office or location to buy stamps, as well as mail pick-up times for particular mailboxes. The mailboxes also contain 2-D and QR bar codes, so customers without NFC-enabled devices can also take advantage of the service. The digital service—an integrated solution based on Connecthings’ services that can include everything from managing and editing the tags to the content housed on the back end—will also provide a map of the local area, lists of cultural events, local classified ads and other services related to local merchants.
Most Health-care RTLS Adopters See Improved Operational Efficiencies, According to KLAS Research
A new study regarding real-time location systems (RTLS), released by KLAS Research, a market and vendor research firm focusing on health care, indicates that the majority of health-care organizations leveraging RTLS technologies are realizing operational gains. KLAS Research interviewed more than 150 organizations for the study, ranging from facilities housing 25 beds to larger networks of facilities and providers with thousands of beds, in order to glean insight about their RTLS experiences. Respondents discussed the depth and breadth of their deployments, and how well their vendors’ solutions performed, as well as contracting, implementation, product quality, support and overall vendor relationships. Some key differentiators, according to KLAS Research, are total cost of ownership, reporting/analytics tools and depth of use. Overall, the study found that 95 percent of responding organizations using RTLS solutions cite operational-efficiency gains. Providers utilizing RTLS systems reported finding success when automating the monitoring of refrigerator temperatures; tracking assets, patients or staff members; assessing hand-hygiene compliance; and engaging in a variety of other uses. According to the report’s author, Steve VanWagenen, much of a facility’s success with RTLS depends on the breadth of its deployment, the variety of ways in which the technology is being employed, and the level of integration between RTLS systems and other solutions. Specifically, the largest gains were cited in regard to equipment utilization and staff efficiency, with 75 percent attributing those improvements to their RTLS. Other improvements included better documentation, as well as better alerts and reporting (each at 19 percent), a reduction in time spent locating assets, improved monitoring and recording of temperatures, and improved loss prevention (each at 11 percent). Providers also shared the lessons they have learned while deploying their real-time location systems, such as adjusting staff workflow in order to incorporate RTLS use, and strengthening the RTLS infrastructure prior to going live so as to improve adoption and maximize return on investment (ROI). The study found that only 10 to 15 percent of respondents are currently utilizing an RTLS solution, and cited solutions from a variety of providers, including AeroScout, Awarepoint, Ekahau, General Electric (GE), Intelligent InSites, Radianse and Versus Technology. The study, titled “Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) 2011: Maximizing the ROI”—which can be purchased here—also includes updates about RTLS solutions offered by CenTrak, Cerner, Hill-Rom, Sonitor Technologies and TeleTracking.
GAO RFID Intros Reader with Long Read Range and High Read Rate
GAO RFID Inc. has launched a new rugged RFID reader that, according to the company, provides a long read range and a high read rate. The integrated reader, model 216012, is part of the firm’s family of ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) 900 MHz RFID interrogators, and can be used both indoors and outdoors. The reader is designed for use at warehouse dock doors, on forklifts, in parking lot gates, on outdoor patrolling vehicles and at highway toll stations, as well as for livestock tracking and container ports, according to GAO RFID. It supports the ISO 18000-6C and EPC Gen 2 standards, and has a dense reader mode aimed at improving performance when used in dense reader environments. The device has a read range of 9 meters (29.5 feet) with AD431 tags from Avery Dennison, and 13 meters (42.7 feet) with DogBone tags provided by UPM RFID. Measuring 30 centimeters by 30 centimeters by 7.5 centimeters (11.8 inches by 11.8 inches by 3 inches) and weighing 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds), the reader offers Ethernet connectivity and can be powered though 12-volt DC supply or Power over Ethernet (POE). It can work reliably under a temperature range of -20 degrees to +60 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees to +140 degrees Fahrenheit).
Norwegian Road-Construction Company Puts RFID on Track
K.A. Aurstad, a road-construction company in Sunnmøre, Norway, plans to deploy an RFID asset-tracking system from TraceTracker, a provider of product-traceability, asset-tracking and business-intelligence solutions, headquartered in Oslo, Norway. The solution will help the company better manage and track accessories and additional equipment for large construction machines. TraceTracker Asset software is designed for use by construction or warehouse companies in keeping tabs on inventory and assets. The assets will be fitted with passive EPC ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID tags bearing a printed 2-D bar code, and the tag data is input into TraceTracker Asset, after which the software provides such capabilities as search functions based on name, number, location or status that can be leveraged across numerous projects. In addition, the software enables the viewing of large maps indicating tool locations, with drill-down features for details, equipment histories, project inventories, special reports (such as equipment utilization) and alarming mechanisms (in the event that tagged tools are removed from project sites). K.A. Aurstad’s implementation will include a mobile application, known as TraceTracker Asset Mobile, which will let employees on project sites utilize their Apple iPhones to complete rapid equipment inventories, as well as change the status of equipment and document those assets. The deployment is expected to go live by the end of the first quarter of 2012. Initially, employees will use their iPhones to read the 2-D bar codes, via the iPhone’s camera and a scanning application, but K.A. Aurstad plans to leverage the RFID component once mobile UHF readers become available for iPhones. Unveiled in October 2011, the TraceTracker Asset Mobile system is integrated with TraceTracker Asset (see RFID News Roundup: TraceTracker Announces New Mobile Asset-Tracking Application). TraceTracker Asset is presently being utilized by Norwegian construction firm Grunnarbeid, as part of a solution to track its tools as they are transported to—and stored at—construction sites (see Grunnarbeid Begins Full-scale Rollout of Tool-Tracking System).
Premo Launches Antenna for NFC Apps
Spanish company Premo Group, a manufacturer of inductive components, has announced a new 3D-coil isotropic magnetic antenna for Near Field Communication (NFC) applications that combines three single coils oriented in the three different axes. The coil antenna comes in two forms—models SDTR1103-HF and 3DC15-HF (a foam version)—and is particularly suitable for applications requiring high drop-test requirements, the company reports, such as mobile phones and key fobs. Designed to work at 13.56 MHz, the coil antenna has a high surface resistance NiZn ferrite core material (greater than 10Mohm/mm), which the company says provides a very stable performance at temperatures ranging from -40 degrees to +85 degrees Celsius (-40 degrees to +185 degrees Fahrenheit). The antenna is suitable for RFID applications involving tags complying with the ISO 15693 and ISO 14443 standards, and meets the AEC-Q-200 standard (one of the most restrictive quality standards for electric components) in automotive applications. This standard, according to Premo Group, is designed to guarantee a component’s performance in applications for both domestic and industrial environments.
United Cargo Flies Wireless Asset-Tracking Devices
Wireless technology firm OnAsset Intelligence has announced that United Cargo, a provider of domestic and international shipping, is now accepting OnAsset’s machine-to-machine (M2M) based wireless asset-tracking devices on its entire mainline jet fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The use of OnAsset’s Sentry 400 FlightSafe system will enable United Cargo’s customers to track the location and environmental sensing of goods that the company ships anywhere throughout the world. The solution consists of OnAsset’s Sentry 400 devices, which include sensors that measure temperature, air pressure, humidity, light and shock, among other aircraft conditions. Each device transmits its own unique ID number and sensor data at regular intervals to area GSM cellular towers, and the Sentry system software determines the device’s location (and, thus, that of the aircraft) based on triangulation of the towers. According to OnAsset, the patented Sentry FlightSafe technology used in the asset-tracking solution can automatically suppress its radios during flight, using multiple modes of sensing and proprietary logic, to comply with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements and ensure safe operation during flight. According to OnAsset Intelligence, United Cargo is the second airline to adopt the OnAsset solution, as Southwest Airlines announced its acceptance of the company’s solutions last summer. OnAsset’s solution is used by several ground-transportation companies, the firm reports. In July 2011, for example, OnAsset announced that it was partnering with Flemming Cargo Securement (FCS), a transportation monitoring and recovery services company, to provide a part-technology, part-manned solution for securing cargo transported by truck from one location to another along the supply chain (see Partnership Combines Wireless Sensors and Live Detectives). The solution employs OnAsset’s Sentry 400 cellular and sensor-based system, with FCS staff members responding in the event that the Sentry 400 system issues an alert. An optional, more comprehensive SmartContainer device, integrated into a product’s shipping container, is also available. Like the Sentry 400 system, the SmartContainer device can issue an alert if a container is opened, or if temperatures exceed a specified threshold, but its built-in RFID reader can detect whether or not tagged products remain within the container. For United Cargo, OnAsset Intelligence’s solution lets customers know where their shipment is located, as well as any environmental and temperature factors.