RFID Tags

Even if you haven't heard of RFID, it's already impacted your life. It might be in your medicine cabinet, in your closet or in your kitchen. It's the technology behind automatic toll booths and non-swipe credit cards. It's often found in ID cards and airline luggage. It's the high-tech fire brand for identifying cattle and other livestock. It's in the stores you shop and the cars you drive.

The technology behind RFID is not all that new, but the technology has slowly improved over time and the uses of RFID is continually increasing. RFID technology was originally developed during World War II for military applications. But since it's time of limited interest in the fields of science and technology, it has now become very pervasive in the mainstream of business and consumer uses. RFID technology is currently found in the medical, retail, livestock, automotive, education, defense, travel, and fast food industries.

So what is RFID? Radio frequency identification, or RFID, is an automatic method of identification, that uses RFID tags (transponders) and RFID readers (transceivers) to mark and track whatever it is attached to. The RFID tag is a small device that stores and transmits data, via it's silicon chip and antenna, to a corresponding RFID reader, thru a radio-frequency signal.

Wireless Bar Coding

RFID is sometimes described as a “wireless bar coding,” but the capabilities of even the most basic RFID system greatly surpasses any bar coding system. The use of RFID has gained a foothold in identifying consumer goods, and it is widely expected that RFID will one day replace bar coded labels.

One benefit of the RFID tags are that they are able to uniquely identify one item from another, even if they all look the same. With bar coding, the bar code only identifies the item by general classifications. An example would be a bar code label on a candy bar. All of the same type of candy bar have the same bar code, it doesn't differentiate from one candy bar to the next. With RFID, it can differentiate each candy bar separately, and also track and the store the complete history of it's movement from the point of manufacture to the point of purchase.

Another benefit of the RFID tag is that it can be read at varying distances - automatically. A bar code label must be manually scanned one label at a time, making it very labor intensive. RFID systems, on the other hand, are automatic and can scan multiple items at once. The information on the RFID tag is scanned without human intervention by a corresponding RFID reader. The technology even allows for GPS tracking to determine the location of the item during transit.

RFID Tags

Each RFID transponder, more commonly called a RFID tag, contains an integrated circuit (IC) and an antenna. A unique electronic product code (EPC) is encrypted into the IC that differentiates the RFID tagged item from any other item in the world. When the RFID tag is within range of the corresponding RFID reader, the proprietary information gets transmitted to the reader via the antenna on the RFID tag. The information then gets sent from the reader to a central computer for processing.

The Difference in the Details

RFID tags are available in varying levels of capabilities and technological specifications, depending on your need and type of use. The RFID tags are all sophisticated pieces of equipment, but relatively speaking, some are quite basic and some are quite complex. There are generally three aspects to consider on RFID systems: the storage and retrieval capabilities, the power source, and the frequency. In regards to storage and retrieval of data, there is both read only or read/write options. In regards to a power source, some tags are passive and don't require an internal power source, and some tags are active and do require an internal power source. RFID systems also differ in the radio wave frequency that they use - LF (low frequency), HF (high frequency), or UHF (ultra-high frequency).

The Future of RFID

With the potential benefits of RFID, it looks to be a technology that's use will continue to increase for both business and personal aspects of our lives. Supporters of RFID point out the positive impact it can have in business - it can reduce labor costs, increase supply chain accountability, and improve product availability to customers. It can help identify items in a product recall or locate sick livestock. In our personal lives, it can identify our pets if they are lost, read prescription labels to the visually impaired, and allow us to pass thru toll booths without stopping.

As with all new technology, including the internet and RFID, while it benefits our lives, there are always some people who are concerned about it's potential of being misused with negative consequences. Opponents of RFID (including some privacy advocates and consumer groups) are concerned about potential abuses and privacy intrusions that may be possible with the use of RFID. As with all industries, oversight and proper implementation is necessary, but not more or less so with RFID. In our increasingly complex world, it is important to be able to identify, track, and locate items. With all the potential uses of RFID, it is expected that this new technology will continue to benefit our lives in many varied ways.