Engineering students at Central Michigan University have developed a new RFID-enabled Smart Cane to help blind students move more freely on campus. The Smart Cane is equipped with an ultra sonic sensor that works together with a miniature navigation system contained within a shoulder bag worn by the user. The navigation system receives information from […]

Improvements in RFID tag durability have enabled grittier industries, such as oil drilling, to adopt RFID tracking technology. Merrick Systems has developed an RFID tracking system specifically designed for the oil drilling industry. The system, called Rig-Hand, allows oil rig managers to monitor in real time down-hole components including drill pipes, casing, tubing, and risers […]

Omni-ID, a supplier of passive UHF RFID tags, has announced the establishment of a new subsidiary, Omni-ID High Science & Technology Co. Ltd. in Qingdao, a major Chinese seaport south of Shanghai. According to a press release by Omni-ID, the new facility will allow the company greater control over its global supply chain, thereby increasing […]

The University of Miami UM-JMH Center for Patient Safety at Jackson Memorial Hospital is testing a new system of monitoring employee hand washing using RFID and infrared technologies. The program uses tiny IR-RF sensors installed in soap dispensers that read staff ID badges and record the location and duration of hand washing. The hospital then […]

DAILY, a Chinese RFID manufacturing company, has revealed its new PDA-based DL710 RFID reader. The new reader comes with Bluetooth and camera applications and can also function as a bar code scanner. It is available in both high frequency (13.56MHz) and low frequency (125 KHz) and supports GPRS Voice and Data transfer. DAILY has priced […]

The American National Standards Institute has approved the Health Industry Business Communications Council’s (HIBCC) proposed set of new standards concerning the use of RFID tags in tracking medical products. The new standard, called ANSI/HIBCC 4.0, calls for products to be labeled with 13.56 megahertz high-frequency tags instead of ultra-high frequency tags, which were found by […]

An increasing number of airlines are looking to RFID tracking systems to eliminate the problem of lost luggage and save revenue in the process. According to a report from SITA, a company specializing in air transport communication and IT solutions, 32% or airlines are expected to implement RFID tracking solutions within the next two years, […]

3M Track and Trace Solutions has announced the release of RFID Tracking System version 3.0, its newest installment in a line of RFID software introduced in 2003. 3M states that V3.0 will feature a number of improvements over its previous RFID software, including compatibility with the Vista operating system and a new Web-based locating and […]

A federal court has ruled in favor of the state of Michigan and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) over a group of Amish farmers protesting the mandatory use of RFID tags in their cattle. The lawsuit was filed against the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the USDA in 2008 by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal […]

A study from the Reusable Packaging Association (RPA) has found that RFID tags built for single use in tracking shipping goods are in fact able to weather multiple journeys. The study began in the Michigan State University School of Packaging lab where researchers tested nine different EPC-compliant Gen 2 RFID tags placed on 230 reusable […]