My interest in RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) has centered on the ethical and legal issues that have arisen from this technology. However, enough people have asked me questions about this technology that I thought I’d summarize it below.
Some History
RFID tags aren’t new. They’ve been around since World War II, but weren’t commercially viable for most applications until more recently. Although these tags are being applied in many places, the most significant impetus fueling their mass usage in the U.S. probably comes from Wal-Mart and the DOD (Department of Defense) insisting that their suppliers begin using RFID tags. This push probably has helped get the technology to the point where it’s practical for drug identification at the pharmacy, for example.
You might not realize it, but you’re probably already using this technology. In the U.S. and some other countries, RFID is used in the transponders needed for drive-through toll systems, such as EasyPass. Some libraries have installed this technology, and several countries are installing RFID chips in passports. These applications are just a few of the many possibilities for this technology.
Some Technology
There are basically two types of RFID tags: passive and active. Passive tags hold information but can only be read by using the power of a reader. A “reader” gathers the information from the RFID tag. Although the concept is the same as that of a barcode reader, the technology behind it is different. In contrast, active tags have their own power source and can be read from a greater distance. Additionally, active tags can be written on to store additional information.
As with printing barcodes, printing RFID tags creates special issues. Some printers can print both, so an item thus tagged can be read by either technology. As a result, whoever or whatever needs to scan the item may not need to be RFID-capable.
RFID tags can be damaged just as barcodes can be damaged. However, an RFID tag has more flexibility in its placement, so damage can be prevented to some degree. Unlike a barcode, the RFID tag does not have to be in the line-of-sight of the reader to be read.
The Price Tag
The cost of incorporating RFID has come down significantly in the past few years. Although the cost of implementation and equipment can still be considerable, the actual per-tag cost is the major stumbling block in most projects.
Passive tags are much cheaper than active tags, as one would expect. However, active tags hold the most promise for enhancing many RFID applications. Additionally, standardization of some portions of implementation has not occurred as quickly as expected, which has prevented the cost of implementation from coming down as much as it might have, plus has led some companies to take a wait-and-see attitude before making a commitment to RFID.
Some Resources
For those of you that have been asking me for more information so that you can begin to consider this technology for your own applications, here are a few resources to watch. Most of the information comes from the study of Logistics, a field already making significant use of this technology:
For some related news, go to “Manufacturing Business Technology” and do a search on “RFID” will bring a list of articles, including one from October 2006 on IBM’s RFID progress in the pharmaceutical supply chain area. |
