Fujitsu Limited and Fujitsu Frontech Limited have announced they have expanded sales of their thin UHF RFID tags for garment management to the international market, focusing primarily in North America, Europe and China.

Fujitsu RFID garment tags are designed for durability, strength and flexibility. The tags are waterproof and can withstand heat, bending and pressure during washing. In addition, because of their small size and softness, they can be attached to a wide variety of fabrics and garments without causing discomfort to the garment wearer. Due to their UHF-band capabilities, multiple tags can be read simultaneously, for increased efficiency.

Fujitsu and Fujitsu Frontech RFID tags were initially developed for the Japanese market. The companies have now developed tags that are widely compatible with bandwidth frequencies used outside of Japan, enabling an expansion of sales to worldwide markets. The RFID tags were developed by Fujitsu and Fujitsu Frontech and are being manufactured by Fujitsu Frontech.

A California-based start-up has introduced a new security appliance intended to act as a firewall between RFID interrogators and the middleware which integrates RFID data into a customer’s software system. NeoCatena calls its new product RF-Wall, and believes the product will protect RFID systems from counterfeit RFID tags, tags encoded with malware and other threats.

Many RFID industry insiders question the significance of this type of security threat, but NeoCatena’s founders believe the threat is legitimate, and have attempted to prove it in experiments dating back to 2004. Some companies apparently believe it is worth considering, as NeoCatena says at least two RFID-using companies are currently involved in beta-testing RF-Wall.

NeoCatena outlines two main business risks associated with RFID networks: a tag's user data could be utilized to pass viruses or malware to back-end systems, or RFID tags could be cloned, or their data manipulated, in order to defraud an RFID-based transaction process such a transit fare card system.

iDTRONIC has introduced a new multi-tag UHF RFID reader, the UHF Long Range Reader SDK. It is designed to offer a range of configurations enabling a variety of applications, from baggage handling and item-level inventory management to large scale warehouse logistics.

iDTronic’s new reader allows reading distances of up to 10 meters and is capable of reading tags conforming to the Gen2 and ISO 18000-6 B/C standards. It also features an anti-self jamming technology to allow simultaneous deployment of several readers in one environment. The device is field-upgradeable for future protocols, with a USB interface to simplify such upgrades.

The full package of the UHF Long Range Reader SDK includes the iDTRONIC UHF Long Range Reader/Writer, a UHF LR-A Antenna, plus a full SDK on CD-ROM.

As proof that the future of RFID usage is not all about inventory counts, logistics and secure identification, a London festival features a workshop for artists interested in using RFID technology in their multimedia projects.

The TakeAway Festival, dedicated to “do-it-yourself” media, is offering two sessions of a workshop exploring how RFID technology can be used in installations, interactive audio and to trigger environmental change.

"The workshop will guide participants through the technical and design processes required for RFID," states the festival’s publicity information. "Participants will make their own prototype of an RFID application, and find out how data can be retrieved using the unique digital ID possessed by each object tagged with an RFID chip.”

Both sessions are scheduled for May 14 at London’s Dana Centre.

OMRON Corporation has announced its V750 series UHF RFID reader/writer is now compatible with the Secure RFID Protocol developed through Japan’s Secure Electronic Tag Project.

The protocol provides enhanced security functions including communication distance control, which restricts the communication range of tags, and reading prohibition, which limits access to tags through password authentication while maintaining compatibility with international standards. The Secure Electronic Tag Project was led by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), with Hitachi Ltd. as a core partner. OMRON worked with Hitachi in developing the new version of its reader.

Secure RFID Protocol will be separated from the standard functions provided by the current version of the V750, and will be offered as an option to be added upon request. The additional security functions provided by the protocol will be available in July 2008.

Motorola and Y3 technologies have formed a strategic alliance to produce RFID solutions for Singapore-based YCH Group, an Asia-based supply-chain firm.

The partnership exploits the two companies’ respective strengths: Motorola’s record of developing innovative RFID products and technologies, and Y3 Technologies’ experience in designing and implementing advanced supply-chain applications. The partnership began informally in 2004 when Y3 Technologies began using Motorola equipment in its systems and has evolved steadily from that client-vendor relationship. Y3 is now officially designated a “Motorola Premier Business Partner.”

YCH Group has indicated a belief in the necessity of RFID solutions to streamline its logistics and warehouse projects, and has already announced warehouse construction projects using the systems resulting from the Motorola-Y3 partnership

Cryptomathic’s Mike Bond talks with host Chris Corum about the efforts to secure e-Passports with the new Extended Access Control (EAC). Bond explains the foundations of EAC and describes how it builds upon the earlier security techniques of Basic Access Control (BAC) to protect the biometrics on the contactless chip. Explore how EAC creates a worldwide PKI, how it impacts issuers and vendors, and whether it will make lines longer or shorter at immigration points.

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http://www.secureidnews.com/podcasts for older podcasts.

Health care systems provider GHX Mobile Solutions has released a new version of its SalesAccelerator hand held inventory management tool. The updated tool can read RFID tags as well as traditional bar codes, acknowledging the expanded usage of RFID technology in the health care industry.

With the new version of SalesAccelerator users can immediately detect and count RFID-tagged inventory on hand. As products are used and inventory counts are reduced, the user can use SalesAccelerator to generate a billing or restocking order, which can be fulfilled through GHX’s electronic trading exchange. Using the GHX system hospitals are better able to track their high-dollar item purchases, and suppliers can receive purchase orders as soon as their products are used in the operating room, eliminating lag times inherent in non-automated inventory systems.

GHX’s RFID interface is supported through two different RFID readers: the Sirit Plug-n-Play SDIO RFID reader and Socket Communications' CF RFID Reader.

A gun’s lifespan is greatly affected by how often it is fired. It is impractical, however, to expect soldiers to document their weapon use in the field, especially in the heat of battle. A new RFID-enabled system being tested by the Army automates the process.

The system, designed by the Army’s Benét Laboratories research center, begins with a piezoelectric sensor that tracks when a weapon is fired by sensing its recoil. A tiny processor records the sensor’s data. An attached RFID tag enables the system to communicate the information easily via reader scans. The system package is capable of extrapolating complex statistics based on the intensity of fire, such as strain and heat, which help gauge the wear and tear on the weapon.

The prototype was first tested on medium-caliber cannons installed on M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tanks, and commercial versions of the equipment could begin appearing by the end of the year.

Covidien, provider of a range of health care products and technology, has won FDA approval for their contrast delivery system with RFID technology. The system uses RFID applications to enhance patient safety by reducing the risk of medical errors in radiology departments.

Covidien’s design combines its Optivantage DH power injectors with its unit-dose Ultraject prefilled contrast media syringes, which are labeled with RFID tags. The system creates an intelligent interface between the syringe and the power injector, enabling the injector to physically alter the RFID label on a syringe once it is used. This greatly reduces the chance of life-threatening air injections or air embolisms because the system automatically prevents the injection of contents from a previously used RFID-labeled syringe. The system also detects if the drug in an RFID-labeled syringe is past its expiration date.

Car logistics company Assistor expects to import around 370,000 vehicles into Finland, the Baltic countries and Russia this year. The company will use an RFID system developed by Digia to keep track of the vehicles.

As the cars are unloaded from container ships, each one will be equipped with UPM Raflatac’s UHF Gen2 DogBone RFID tag. A warehouse location is assigned to each vehicle, and that location is tracked by the 250 RFID readers. Each RFID tag carries information about all actions related to the vehicle during storage and production.