RFID Technology - Current and Future

Applications of RFID 

With the rollout of EPC Global Gen 2 standards, RFID is primed for a big growth period. Admittedly, this has been mentioned every year for the past two or three years. However, with the standards in place the costs should come down and therefore the RFID renaissance should begin. Some reports are that RFID tags will increase from 1.3 billion in 2005 to 33 billion in 2010.

Current RFID Implementations

            In many retail stores 1-bit RFID tags are used quite extensively to help in preventing shoplifting. A 1-bit RFID tag would only be able respond in two different states: ‘tag in area’, ‘tag not in area’. Because no chip is required, these tags are very cheap and are perfect for retail. If someone tries to the leave the store with the 1-bit tag still ‘alive’, the reader (usually located at the exits of store) will recognize the tag and sound an alarm. These systems are currently located in many retail stores around the world.

            Wal-Mart has been one of the most advertised early implementers of RFID technology. By the end of 2006, Wal-Mart estimates that the technology will be implemented in more than 1,000 of their approximately 3,900 locations in the United States. All new implementations of RFID are using the Gen 2 protocols. Gen 1 (Class 1) tags that are still in the mix in Wal-Mart systems are to be replaced. So Wal-Mart is a full supporter of Gen 2 tags. Further, when starting to implement RFID a few years back, Wal-Mart also required all their suppliers to implement RFID systems by January 2005. This has fueled the expansion of the RFID market and streamlined Wal-Mart’s supply chain management.

            The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has been using some form of RFID technology since the early 1990’s. The DOD has used RFID to track their assets from the warehouse to the war fighter. Today they continue to expand the use of RFID, implementing RFID on all shipments. In fact, RFID has been used on shipments over the past 3 wars (Desert Shield, Desert Storm, and Operation Freedom). The government and most especially the DOD have also been key supporters of RFID and have been leaders in the acceptance of this technology.

Future RFID Implementations

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has looked into implementing an RFID application to track passengers throughout the airport.  The tag would be located on the boarding pass and on a checked-luggage tag. These RFID tags would have information that would link these items to a certain passenger, allowing gate agents and airport personal to track down passengers if they fail to board the plane on-time. Other uses could be to track down passengers for relaying important messages and for other security reasons. Also, RFID tags could be used to track down lost luggage; this would definitely pique the interest of travelers. Some airports, such as Orlando and Las Vegas, have already implemented RFID-like systems for tracking luggage; RFID could expand this use and make it more robust. (13) The plan would be to utilize wireless networks; therefore passive tags would more than likely be used. The tags then would be worthless once the luggage left the airport.

The U.S. government continues to look for areas where procedures can be streamlined. One area is immigration services and border control. It’s very possible that in the near future we will be using biometric passports to get in and out of this country. Reasons for this type of technology are highlighted as being the ongoing fight against terror. To implement a biometric system, RFID tags/system standards would be used.

The newest buzz and promising trend is extending RFID networks and linking them with sensor networks. Companies are already using sensor networks to record and detect changes in temperature, movement, and even radiation. Future applications might be to monitor and check that items are moving through the supply chain at the correct temperature, check if meat goes bad, or even if some biological weapon has been put into food or some other item. (7) Other possible applications are in elderly care, by monitoring room, house, or body temperature.

The futures uses of RFID technology are practically endless. Especially when integrating with sensor networks, the use of RFID has the potential to touch almost every aspect of our lives. RFID technologies are already well-rooted in the retail and logistic industries, but the implementations will continue. Healthcare, food industry, airline and automotive industries are all looking to expand their use of RFID.

RFID is an important technology, and even though the concepts have been around for decades, it is still relatively new. Cost and consumer privacy issues have been roadblocks to RFID’s universal acceptance. However, with the support of large corporations and major producing countries, RFID is gaining popularity. Along with that comes the definition of new protocols and standards in RFID tag/reader communication and power supply. These standards will go a long way towards making RFID cost effective for all types of companies.