Gentag, Sicel partner on disposable radiation sensor
23 April, 2009
category: RFID
Gentag Inc., a developer of cell phone-based sensor technology, has teamed with specialty medical device provider Sicel Technologies Inc. to develop a passive, disposable RFID sensor which can detect radiation threats in shipping containers.
The new detection device combines Sicel’s medical radiation sensor technology with Gentag wireless sensor platform, which uses modified cell phone technology. Sicel’s background in FDA-approved radiation sensors complements Gentag’s wireless platform expertise, enabling the partnership to quickly develop and produce a low-cost threat detection solution with rapid deployment capability.
The solution can be integrated with standard LF, HF or UHF RFID technologies or Radar Responsive Sensor Tags; depending upon the type of tag chosen, the miniature radiation sensors can offer read distances ranging from one inch to about 12 miles. The technology can also be used with cell phones that incorporate both an RFID reader and a sophisticated CZT isotopic radiation detector, which were previously developed by Gentag and eV Products. When integrated with the specialized cellphone, the device can offer immediate validation and GPS location of any potential threat. The solution can also be modified to include low-cost printable chemicals sensors.
The Sicel-Gentag partnership plans to seek to license their combined intellectual property for developing container and shipping monitoring systems for the US Government, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and other countries, under a competitive bidding process.