The following are news announcements made during the past week.
TempTrip Announces RFID-enabled Temperature Tag for Food, Pharmaceutical Cold Chains
TempTrip has introduced a new “one touch” RFID-enabled temperature logger the company says simplifies food and pharmaceutical cold chain management simple, yet makes it more “intelligent” than ever before. TempTrip is a two-year-old joint venture between Sealed Air, a New Jersey-based provider of food and protective packaging products, and Results Oriented Inc., a software integrator and consultancy based in Colorado (see TempTrip Wants to Make Temperature-Tracking as Easy as Netflix). The new TempTrip tag contains an ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) passive RFID inlay made with a Impinj‘s Monza X-2K chip (see Impinj Releases Embedded RFID Chips for Consumer Electronics, E-Labels). TempTrip’s new tag is credit-card sized and features a button that can be pressed to start or mark temperature measurements at multiple points throughout the product’s cold chain journey. When the button is pressed, an LED light on the tag blinks red if the temperature is out of range or displays a solid green if programmed parameters have been met, according to TempTrip. The tag can be affixed to packages, cases and pallets and is capable of logging thousands of time/temperature points, the company says. The tag also has a five-year battery life and a temperature range of -30 to +55 degrees Celsius with accuracy of + 0.2 degrees. At any point during shipment or storage, tags can be checked for preset conditions by pressing the button, the company says, adding that a button press also acts as a marker when tags pass through certain distribution points. The temperature history can be read via a handheld or stationary RFID reader; alternatively, tags can be returned to TempTrip and all results will be uploaded to a dedicated Web page within 24 hours of receipt. Each tag has a microprocessor that allows for a variety of calculations including remaining shelf life, mean kinetic temperature and multi-parameter alarms. Custom product configurations, such as time and temperature variables specific to a food or pharmaceutical product, can be written to each tag and are easily updated in the field, the company says. The tags can be integrated into an existing EPC Gen 2 RFID infrastructure or TempTrip can provide companies with a variety of stationary or portable readers. Customers can check everything from quick reports to detailed graphs to monitor the condition of their entire cold chain online, via TempTrip’s Web-based data system. All data is archived and can be reviewed, compared and analyzed at any time, the company says.
CAEN RFID Intros Wearable Handheld UHF Reader With Bluetooth Support
CAEN RFID, a supplier of ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID systems, is introducing the qID Model R1240I, a Bluetooth-enabled wearable handheld RFID reader compliant with the ISO 18000-6C and EPC Gen 2 standards. The qID Model R1240I is designed for a variety of applications in fashion, retail, automotive, waste management, and warehouse logistics (there is a silicon cover to protect the qID from drops and other rugged use). It comes with a Velcro strap so it can be easily attached to a user’s hand, thereby freeing the hands for other tasks. The Bluetooth communication interface makes it a suitable add-on to any Bluetooth-enabled device, and is designed to serve as an RFID UHF extension for customer smartphones, tablets and PCs and is able to maintain the same or better performance of actual RFID handheld devices, according to CAEN RFID. The qID is able to read a tag up to 2 meters, the company says. It is compatible with Windows XP/7, Windows CE/Mobile, Android and iOS operating systems and can store up to half million of 96 bit EPC codes it its internal memory when a communication link (USB or Bluetooth) is unavailable. The reader is available with an optional 1D/2D barcode imager. CAEN RFID also announced the Easy2Read Easy Controller for Android software, which is designed to let an Android user demo the qID and many of its features, including enabling the EPC configurations and modes and other capabilities.
Smartrac Launches 6-millimeter HF RFID Tag
Smartrac, an RFID inlay supplier headquartered in Amsterdam, has announced that it has added an even smaller version of the Smart-Mini-Tag to its standard product portfolio. The Smart-Mini6-tag, which contains an NXP Semiconductors Icode SLI chip that has 1024 bits of memory and supports the ISO 15693 and ISO 18000-3 standards, has a diameter of 6 mm and a thickness of 0.8 mm. Due to its small footprint, the high-frequency (HF) tag can easily be integrated into original equipment manufacturer (OEM) equipment, Smartrac reports. The Smart-Mini6-Tag has been specifically developed for direct use on metallic surfaces and its reading performance is enhanced by means of an integrated absorber foil, according to the company. Potential applications include the tagging of cables in a cable cabinet and tools on a tool trolley.
IDTronic Intros Cylindrical UHF RFID Antenna for Industrial Automation Processes
IDTronic, an RFID hardware provider based in Germany, has announced the Bluebox M30 Antenna, a cylindrical ultra-high frequency (UHF) antenna that supports the ISO 18000-6C and EPC Gen 2 standards and is designed for use in the in the field of industrial automation, for applications supporting production control, material handling control and in tracking and tracing. The antenna measures 30 by 60 millimeters and has a stainless steel, IP65-rated dustproof and waterproof housing and a fixed antenna cable of 2 meters. The new antenna is suitable for directly identifying objects at reading distances of up to 20 centimeters, according to IDTronic. Currently, IDTronic says it is installing this antenna inside an airport luggage-handling system.Kiddicare Installs ZBD’s RFID-based E-paper and Electronic Shelf Displays
ZBD, a provider of RFID-enabled electronic-paper, or e-paper, display systems for retailers and industrial users, has announced that Kiddicare, a baby-equipment retailer headquartered in the United Kingdom, has chosen to roll out ZBD’s e-paper system across its entire retail operations. The solution is designed to replace solution traditional paper labeling, providing retailers with a cost-effective and efficient way to manage pricing, product and promotional information at the point of purchase. It consists of epop (which stands for electronic point of purchase) e-paper displays and interrogators known as Bounce Communicators. An epop is a small, high-resolution, LCD display that attaches wirelessly to the shelf edge and is capable of displaying rich content including any combination of text, images, barcodes and logos. The screen is bistable, meaning that it requires no power to retain an image indefinitely. The epops are controlled wirelessly by the Bounce Communicators located in the back office that integrate into retailers’ existing IT systems in real time, according to ZBD. ZBD Solutions’ software consists of Bounce Architect (to manage data related to pricing and product details) and Bounce Processor (to prompt the changes to epop labels via RFID). The Bounce Communicators can forward appropriate pricing and product data to each epop, based on that unit’s unique ID number, via an 868 MHz transmission, using a proprietary air-interface protocol. The epop, powered with a coin-cell battery, receives that data, updates its details and displays the new information on its e-paper screen, while simultaneously sending an 868 MHz transmission back to the Bounce Communicator, thus verifying that the transmission has been received. Kiddicare successfully tested ZBD’s e-paper system at its flagship store at its Peterborough, U.K. headquarters, according to ZBD, which provided the retailer with the ability to synchronize pricing and information online and in the store. Following the trial, Kiddicare has committed to a wider rollout across all new superstores, ZBD says. Kiddicare was acquired by supermarket giant Morrisons in 2011, which is expanding Kiddicare’s physical store network, with plans for 10 new superstores open over the next year. Kiddicare opened its first superstore in Nottingham in September 2012 with a variety of technologies to enhance the customer experience, including touch-screen “browse and order point” technology with bar-code scanning allowing shoppers to check product availability as well as choose from multiple delivery options, free Wi-Fi service, in addition to ZBD’s e-paper system, according to ZBD. “As a multi-channel retailer, keeping store pricing in line with our Web site is one of our biggest challenges,” said Scott Weavers-Wright, Kiddicare’s chief executive, in a prepared statement. “With ZBD’s fully graphic displays, we can now add QR codes to the shelf to provide additional information on customers’ mobile phones, or store assistants’ tablets. This information could include product demonstrations, customer reviews or anything else that will enhance the shopping experience. It’s all available via our free in-store Wi-Fi network.” ZBD’s e-paper solution is being used by other companies, including T-Mobile Austria (see T-Mobile Austria Updates Prices Wirelessly).
Snagg Releases New Pet Collar with an Embedded Microchip
Snagg, a Palo Alto, Calif., firm founded by a musician who employed RFID to help identify stolen guitars (see RFID and the Arts), has announced a new pet collar that includes an embedded low-frequency (LF) RFID chip. The RFID-enabled collar is designed for people who have concerns about having chips injected into their pets, according to Snagg. The collar leverages a 134 kHz LF passive RFID chip, compliant with ISO 11874 11785 RFID standards for electronic animal identification. Each chip’s unique ID number is associated with information about the pet owner, and that information is housed in a Snagg database. Once a customer receives a collar or harness, the customer can register the pet in the database, providing pictures and specifics at no charge, according to Snagg. Animal control units and veterinarians can access the nationwide database as well, to view information about a pet’s owners. There’s a notification tag sewn on the collar, at the point where the chip is embedded, that indicates the collar has a pet microchip, and instructs the person to visit www.snagg.com, according to Brian Schuh, Snagg’s CEO. Schuh says even if the person misses the notification on the collar, it has become standard practice for many animal control units and veterinarians to scan the area between the shoulder, and that scan would pick up the information in the chip on the collar as well. Available now, the collar is $24.95, including microchip and registration. It can be ordered from Snagg’s Web site. Upon receiving the order, Snagg will contact the customer to determine size (up to XL Dog) and design. Snagg says it can also make full harness with an embedded RFID chip.
Libelium Launches Waspmote Plug & Sense
Libelium, a Spanish wireless sensor hardware provider, has launched Waspmote Plug & Sense!, a new line of Libelium encapsulated wireless sensor devices that the company says enable systems integrators to implement scalable, modular wireless sensor networks and reduce installation time from days to hours. Libelium’s product platform consists of various sensors, or Waspmotes, that include a ZigBee 2.4 GHz 802.15.4 radio transmitter and an antenna, enclosed in a PVC container. The new Waspmote Plug & Sense! models are preconfigured to create such widely applicable services as smart cities, smart parking, smart agriculture, air quality, smart security, ambient control and, radiation control. Plug & Sense! Models are set to send information to Meshlium, the Libelium sensor gateway that uploads data to the cloud, making the data accessible from anywhere and easy to integrate into third-party applications, Libelium says. Each Waspmote Plug & Sense! is equipped with six connectors to which sensor probes can be attached directly. It features an IP65-rated dustproof and waterproof enclosure for outdoor deployment. The Waspmote Plug & Sense! platform may be solar-powered to allow energy harvesting and years of autonomy, according to the company. Once installed, Waspmote Plug & Sense! sensor nodes can be programmed wirelessly via an over-the-air-programming (OTAP) feature. Sensors can be replaced or added without having to uninstall the mote itself, keeping maintenance costs to a minimum. For example, a network with carbon dioxide probe sensors may easily add a noise sensor by simply attaching it, thereby extending the service, LIbelium explains. The platform, available online here includes an open-source development environment and API, without software license fees and an intuitive graphic interface programming tool.
Nanotron Technologies partners with South African RF distribution specialist RF Design
German Real-Time Location System (RTLS) provider Nanotron Technologies has announced a reseller, distribution and service agreement with RF Design in South Africa. From the three RF Design offices in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban, Nanotron’s customers in South Africa will be provided with support in technical design and other assistance, according to Nanotron, which already has among its customers in South Africa several global providers of safety equipment to mine operators. These clients (which Nanotron says it is not at liberty to identify) apply Nanotron’s proximity-awareness CSS technology for avoiding heavy mining machinery collisions with people or assets, thus improving mine safety significantly, the company says. Besides South Africa, Nanotron’s clients serve mining customers in North America, Australia, Russia and Europe. Nanotron’s solution employs 2.4 GHz active RFID tags complying with the IEEE 802.15.4a standard, and includes readers. The tags transmit a chirp—a brief signal across the entire 2.4 GHz band—that is received by the readers, with Nanotron software using the signal’s time difference of arrival (TDOA) to calculate each tag’s location within approximately 3 meters (9.8 feet).