Radio Frequency Identification Technology for Logistics, Tagging and EPC

RFID keeps tabs on art

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

The French Art Network, a New Orleans-based art gallery with locations in several states, has begun using RFID technology to keep track of its collection, both on the gallery wall and in transit.

The asset management solution places a programmed RFID tag on each piece of art identifying the artwork and its location. Every 10 minutes, long-range RFID readers provide a “roll call” of the artwork inventory. The inventory information from each gallery is sent via the web to The French Art Network headquarters where it is synchronized, so every 10 minutes management knows the exact status of its entire inventory.


To help prevent artwork theft, especially when paintings are moved from one gallery to another, each RFID Tag contains a tamper counter. This device enables management to determine if someone tries to swap tags between paintings while outside of reader range. If someone tries to swap tags between paintings, the tamper counters automatically advance, providing the monitoring system with a time stamp of the “tamper event.” This alerts the galleries to take appropriate action once paintings are back within reader range.

The asset management solution was developed by Florida-based Silent Partner Technologies using RFID technology provided by its partner, VUANCE, including its AAID Security Solutions’ Asset Tags and Passive Readers. [end] 

The Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council has published a white paper examining how the transit industry can best make use of NFC technology.

“One of the major challenges facing transit agencies today is how to capitalize on the ever-growing popularity of mobile phones with a solid mobile strategy,” said Transportation Council Chairman Craig Roberts. “This white paper builds on the knowledge base developed in earlier white papers to foster a greater understanding of NFC technology, explain its role in the transit industry, and shed light on key issues facing the transit industry in developing a mobile strategy.”

read more »

Cubic Transportation Systems, distributor of the electronic transit Clipper card, has responded to the recent news of a Ph.D. student in IT Security allegedly breaking the encryption in Clipper and similar transit cards.

read more »

Leo InnoTech (LIT) and UPM RFID have carried out a large-scale item-level RFID implementation for a Chinese apparel company focusing primarily on warehouse logistics optimization.

read more »

India transport operator Ahmedabad Janmarg Ltd. has launched a smart transit card for commuters traveling on the region’s bus system, according to ISO&Agent.

The agency began a six-month trial and August 2010 followed by a soft and silent launch in January 2012. The card is available now for a nonrefundable fee of 25 rupees ($.50 US cents) and allows commuters to travel for up to 100 minutes on one bus, for the minimum fare.

read more »

LikeBelt from deeplocal on Vimeo.

And now for something completely different.

Pittsburgh-based design studio Deeplocal has developed an NFC-enabled belt that lets the wearer “like” things on Facebook much in the same way that a dog “likes” your leg.

read more »

Murata and Beta LAYOUT announced a joint venture to launch an RFID starter kit aimed at printed circuit board (PCB) engineers and developers aspiring to incorporate RFID into their electronics design.

read more »