- HID Acquires Janam for Event-Access Readers, Pedestals
- Powercast, Kyocera Offer RFID Power-Harvesting Solutions
- MASS Group Announces Integration with FEIG Electronics
- XOTech Intros Apps Featuring ChatGPT, RF Tags
Presented here are recent news announcements in the radio frequency identification and Internet of Things industries.
HID Acquires Janam for Event-Access Readers, Pedestals
HID Global, a provider of trusted-identity solutions, has acquired Janam Technologies, a supplier of handheld mobile computers and readers. The acquisition, according to HID, will enable it to offer smart credential issuance and reader solutions. Technologies in the venue-access sector have evolved, HID reports, from physical tickets with manual inspection systems to digital tickets interrogated by radio frequency identification (RFID) and Near Field Communication (NFC) readers.
This acquisition will increase HID’s presence in the event-access space, as Janam offers a suite of rugged mobile readers, including handheld devices and pedestal and kiosk products for venue access. Janam’s products support the tap-and-go NFC features of Apple Wallet and Google Pay, and its contactless access solutions have supported some of the largest events in the world, including the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, for which HID was a smart ticketing producer.
Following the acquisition, Janam Technologies is now part of HID’s Identification Technologies Business Area, and it will merge with the company’s Events & Mobility Solutions Business Unit. As part of the transaction, HID will support Janam’s ongoing business in rugged mobile computing solutions for retail, healthcare, warehousing, manufacturing, logistics, government and public safety.
Powercast, Kyocera Offer RFID Power-Harvesting Solutions
Powercast, a provider of radio frequency (RF)-based over-the-air (OTA) wireless power technology, and Kyocera AVX, a manufacturer of electronic components, are teaming up to offer sustainable, battery-free solutions capable of harvesting power from RFID readers. The solutions are designed to power electronic shelf labels, RFID sensor tags and other battery-free Internet of Things (IoT) devices, the companies report.
A tiny Powercast PCC110 Powerharvester receiver chip embedded in electronic devices harvests RF out of the air when it comes within range of a UHF RFID reader. It then converts that RF to direct current and stores it in a Kyocera supercapacitor for discharge when needed. This battery-independent power storage eliminates the need for battery replacement and maintenance, the companies note, while keeping disposable batteries out of landfills.
The joint technologies include Powercast’s redesigned PCT100 RFID sensor tags, which measure temperature, humidity and light levels for environmental monitoring in the retail, medical, warehousing and industrial IoT markets. In addition, Powercast’s battery-free ESL wirelessly updates an ePaper screen to display instructions on warehouse bins to facilitate picking or assembly.
“The ability to power green, sustainable devices solely from the RF harvested from the RFID readers deployed today throughout many industries can solve the main problem IoT deployments face: battery replacement,” said Charles Greene, Powercast’s COO and CTO, in a prepared statement. “We are teaming with Kyocera AVX, whose thin, advanced supercapacitors can store the energy generated by Powercast technology and discharge as needed, to either directly power a battery-free device or recharge a rechargeable battery.”
Mamoon Abedraboh, Kyocera’s global product marketing manager for supercapacitor and power capacitors, added in the statement: “This collaborative effort can be used to develop environmentally friendly smart-home IoT ecosystems that eliminate disposable batteries, while extending backup time and providing instantaneous power pulses as needed. Our vision is to make IoT more sustainable now and into the future.”
MASS Group Announces Integration with FEIG Electronics
Manufacturing Automation & Software Systems (MASS) Group has announced that its software has been integrated with FEIG Electronics‘ RFID hardware. Traceability Made Easy (TME), MASS Group’s commercial off-the-shelf product, is an RFID-powered inventory, container, asset and manufacturing tracking software solution that provides real-time visibility, traceability and genealogy. The integration of the two technologies is intended to help organizations scale their manufacturing and warehouse operations.
FEIG offers RFID and barcode systems, including readers and antennas for all standard operating frequencies. According to FEIG, its multiplexing technology offers distance and flexibility for businesses seeking RFID solutions with a wide and accurate read range. Whereas a single reader can cover one location or portal, a multiplexor enables every antenna to be read individually, increasing the area of space that can be covered per reader. The system can include up to 16 antennas per reader.
TME RFID offers a real-time tracking software platform for mobile equipment, containers, tools, inventory, IT assets, furniture and more. Traceability Made Easy is built to provide manufacturers, organizations and government agencies with visibility, compliance and process execution, the companies indicate. The integration is intended to provide end users, value-added resellers and system integrators with an off-the-shelf, extensible RFID solution for supply chain traceability, inventory and warehouse management, as well as asset inventory management and work-in-process.
The TME application includes MES, CMMS, WMS and RFID solutions in a single cloud-based platform that requires no programming. TME provides real-time dashboards and reporting, as well as up-to-the-minute notifications, with tools to help supply chain managers, asset and warehouse managers, and process engineers make critical decisions.
XOTech Intros Apps Featuring ChatGPT, RF Tags
XO2Tech has announced new solutions that combine ChatGPT and radio frequency tags to enable interactive supply and demand chains with consumer-facing apps known as Vital Check, RF-Smart Retail and RF-iD Tech. ChatGPT is a long-form question-answering artificial intelligence (AI) technology from OpenAI, designed to learn what users mean when they pose questions (see What Is ChatGPT and How Can You Use It?).
The solutions feature RF tag-generated data and generative artificial intelligence-based problem solving, and the company says the technologies can be scaled to leverage and transform businesses’ digital platforms. The technology, according to XOTech, provides interconnected RF-generated data, AI next-step data actions, and AI voice- and text-based solutions.