Planners of South Africa’s Govtech 2008, a large government-sponsored technology conference, will issue RFID-enabled name tags to track attendees. The host organization, the State Information Technology Agency (SITA), plans to use information gathered through the tags to improve future events.

The tracking system will feature active RFID personnel tags issued to each conference attendees and a network of RFID readers placed in twelve key monitoring areas, including a welcome display which will use the technology to create personal greetings. Wavetrend’s South African division is providing the RFID technology as a sponsor of the event

ABI Research has placed Motorola at the top of its latest worldwide ranking of passive UHF reader vendors. Alien Technology and Impinj filled the second and third slots in what researchers called a tight competition between the industry leaders.

ABI points to a combination of strong shipments, solid product innovation, and persistent market presence from Motorola to earn the top rating in its new Vendor Matrix. The research group ranked the vendors on innovation and implementation.

Network infrastructure provider SonicWALL has selected InSync Software’s Edgeware platform and Asset Tracking Solution to create a visible inventory system as well as provide an indisputable performance metric for its suppliers.

SonicWALL will use the InSync system to improve in-transit times, lead times, lower inventory levels and manage the performance of devices provided by other suppliers throughout an extended supply chain. Additionally, SonicWALL required the ability to integrate item-level processes information from its suppliers into its own enterprise software.

Spartanics, in collaboration with Systec, has announced the availability its new Spartanics-Systec Fineprint Cylinder Screen Printing Line, a cylinder-configured screen printing system. The system is equipped to produce RFID labels among other other high-quality label applications.

With the price of its basic ingredient, crude oil, surging, the petroleum industry is feeling the pinch of increased production costs. Companies are searching for ways to cut costs and improve efficiency, and some industry leaders are looking at RFID technology to gain insights into their operations.

The Oil & Gas RFID Solution Group has been organized to look at ways RFID technology can improve the petroleum industry, from streamlining procurement and production operations to improving worker safety and automating equipment. The group is a multidisciplinary collection of experts, including researchers from several Texas universities, members of the petroleum industry, and representatives from leaders in RFID technology including Avery Dennison, Motorola, and Merlin Concepts.

The Portuguese book retailer Byblos hopes the RFID-enabled system in its new Lisbon superstore will improve customer service, inventory control and security. The 4500 square-meter Byblos Amoreiras store offers 350,000 books, games and videos for sale, each tagged with an RFID device.

The system, developed by CreativeSystems and using RFID labels designed for the retailer by Avery Dennison, is a virtual catalogue of the ways a retailer can exploit RFID technology.

ConocoPhillips has introduced an RFID-enabled system to help insure the safety of workers on its offshore oil rigs along the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The energy giant uses technology from IDENTEC SOLUTIONS' WatcherSeries to keep track of workers in a dangerous environment often made more treacherous by severe weather.

Alanco Technologies Inc. has announced that its Alanco/TSI PRISM Inc. subsidiary has been awarded the contract to design an RFID-based inmate tracking system for a prison complex located in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

ODIN Technologies has been selected by Unisys as its lead RFID deployment partner for the Department of Homeland Security Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative contract. Unisys was awarded the $62 million contract in January.

The Customs and Border Protection division of Homeland Security plans to combine RFID applications with License Plate Recognition technology to improve security along U.S. borders and streamline the border crossing process. The planned program includes RFID-enabled identification cards for faster border crossing identity verification.

When the contract is completed, WHTI will have established RFID solutions at more than 300 border crossing lanes at the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico.

Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri has vetoed a bill banning the use of RFID to track students in his states’ schools, according to School Bus Transportation News. He said decisions to use the technology should be left to school districts and parents.

The bill was inspired by a pilot program at the Middletown Public School district which planned to place RFID tags in the book bags of 80 elementary students. According to MAP IT Corp., the company proposing the program, the students would then be tracked as part of a school bus GPS system. Theoretical uses of the system included helping parents to know where their children were in weather-related emergencies.

Industry association AIM Global has named Clive Hohberger as its new chairman of the board of directors. Hohberger was vice president of technology development for Zebra Technologies Corp.

Hohberger is a charter member of the AIDC 100 industry honorary society and winner of the 1999 AIM Global Richard E. Dilling Award for lifetime contribution to the industry. He succeeds Mr. Jim Childress of LXE, Inc. as chairman.

The network infrastructure provider Reva Systems Inc. has announced the general launch of its new Tag Acquisition Processor (TAP) appliance, the TAP 721, along with the release of software version 2.3 for all TAP models.

The TAP 721 offers RFID network infrastructure to facilities operating up to 1,024 read-points per site, while the new software release includes enhanced management tools, modeling capabilities and data processing.

Intermec Inc. has announced it will create an “easy scan” ski pass system for several ski resorts owned by Vail Resorts. The system will use RFID technology to give skiers and snowboarders holding 2008-2009 season passes the option to keep their passes inside their jacket and be automatically scanned by a Vail Resorts employee in the lift line.

RFID provider Sirit Inc. has signed a strategic supply agreement with 3M's Brazilian subsidiary for Sirit's RFID reader and tag technology to support transportation-related projects in the Brazilian market. The agreement builds upon the Global Cooperative Marketing Agreement signed earlier this year between 3M's Traffic Safety Systems Division and Sirit.

The Regional Transport Authority of Hyderabad, India, has announced plans to monitor its driving test tracks with an RFID-enabled system designed to automate testing for driver licenses.

Another RFID firm has secured a new round of venture capitol. Developer ThingMagic Inc. announced that it will receive an additional $9.5 million in funding from previous investors, including Tudor Ventures, The Exxel Group, Morningside Technology Ventures and .406 Ventures.

ThingMagic specializes in the development of RFID readers, sensors, and embedded RFID technologies including fixed and embedded RFID readers and antennas, embedded and OEM RFID technology, along with RFID integration services for a wide range of industrial and consumer products. Customers include Ford and Lexmark.

Europe-based Sokymat Automotive has launched two new additions to its line of industrial application RFID tags. The new Slim Tag is intended to enable warehouse logistic management, and the Waste Bin Tag is, as the name suggests, aimed at waste management applications.

Fishery researchers in Thailand plan to adopt an RFID-enabled system to track the broodstock – the fish kept isolated for breeding purposes – of several fish species key to the country’s export business. With the system, researchers can track the development of the broodstock and supervise crossbreeding programs to improve the species.

Researchers at the Department of Fisheries Science at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Lad-krabang are embedding RFID chips in three aquatic species, the Giant Prawn, Nile Tilapia and Walking Catfish. The three species are crucial to Thailand’s economy, with an export value of about 2 billion bahts a year.

RFID hardware supplier iDTRONIC has introduced three versions of an RFID wristband device designed for a variety of identification needs. The “WRIST-FIT,” the “WRIST-FIT Velcro” and the "Silicone Rubber” are each worn like a wrist watch, and use either 125 kHz or 13.56 MHz technology to uniquely identify the wearer.

As part of its ongoing Benchmark series, ODIN Technologies has released an evaluation of passive RFID tags designed to work on metal objects. The report compares 17 UHF RFID tags designed specifically for use on metal, and finds that improvements have been made in this once-difficult area of the RFID industry.

McMaster RFID Application Lab (MRAL), part of Canada’s McMaster University, has teamed up with PricewaterhouseCooper India to explore RFID-related consulting and solutions services in India. The initial agreement between the two organizations will be on a case-by-case basis, with plans to work toward a broader and more detailed memorandum of understanding in the future.

Seattle-based Impinj has announced the purchase of Intel’s RFID business division, including the rights to sell Intel’s R1000 RFID chips. The chip will be rebranded the Impinj Indy R1000.

The R1000 is used in the handheld RFID readers of a number of manufacturers. Impinj officials have assured these makers that the company does not intend to launch its own handheld device to complement the stationary Impinj Speedway line and compete with other handhelds.

Alien Technology, in cooperation with real-time location solutions (RTLS) provider Ubisense, has announced the completion of customer field tests using combined RTLS/RFID technology for automotive production line component verification.

Kentucky-based RFID distributor BlueStar has announced it has acquired the assets of PSD-PrintScan, a German company with a similar business model. BlueStar plans to use the purchase to extend its presence overseas, as the PSD-PrintScan operations become BlueStar Europe.

Research firm Aberdeen Group has unveiled a new study, "RFID and IT Infrastructures: Maximizing Business Value." The study, sponsored in part by RFID-enabled asset management solution provider Fluensee, explores new ways organizations are using RFID to improve the performance of their IT infrastructures.

JAOtech has announced a hybrid RFID scanner and smart card reader option for its range of medical Smart Terminals. The addition enables the quick identification of medical staff for secure access to clinical records at bedside.

IBM has announced an agreement with Matiq to use RFID solutions to track and trace poultry and meat products from the farm, through the supply chain, to supermarket shelves. The system will be the first of its kind in the Scandinavian countries.

Hi-G-Tek, a developer of RFID sensing and control solutions for tracking high-value cargo and sensitive materials, has announced a strategic partnership with Dallas–based IDENTEC SOLUTIONS, a provider of wireless identification technology for companies in the energy, defense, logistics and other industries.

San Jose-based InSync Software has raised an additional $3 million in venture capitol to fund its Edgeware software platform. The platform is designed to enable the deployment RFID and sensor-enabled warehousing and logistics automation solutions.

OTA Training LLC has announced that their online RFID training program, RFID on the Web, will be available to over 250 colleges and universities through a collaboration with Gatlin Education Services.

Thailand’s Hom Mali project is testing the use of RFID applications in its rice production supply chain. The Software Industry Promotion Agency (SIPA) has created a prototype system which tracks the flow of rice in the Roi-Kaen Sarn cluster area of the country.

According to a new report being offered by market research firm RNCOS, the European share of the global RFID market will reach 40% in the next eight years. The report, “European RFID Industry Outlook 2007-2010,” predicts heavy growth in the retail sector’s use of the technology.

Intellident has announced that it will continue and expand its two-year-old partnership with UK library services provider Askews. The collaboration provides high-volume source tagging of items to the academic and public library sector, a growing and evolving segment of the RFID market.

Xerox has selected I.D. Systems to provide wireless management for a fleet of forklifts at its Ohio distribution center. Xerox will use I.D. Systems’ PowerKeyPLUS wireless industrial vehicle monitoring system, which uses RFID-based technology to provide vehicle access control, safety checklists and impact sensing.

A research group in Europe has taken a major step towards the goal of developing printable electronics that can be used for creating RFID tags. Researchers in the EU-funded CONTACT project have demonstrated that with suitable inks and printers, organic liquid crystal displays and other optical electronic devices can be printed out precisely.

Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (FTE), which manages the statewide SunPass system, has selected TransCore’s eGo Plus RFID sticker for use on the state’s 460 miles of toll road. The paper-thin, batteryless tags will be sold as the SunPass “Mini” and be available this summer.

UK-based Wavetrend Technologies has announced that it will begin installation of an RFID project for Israel’s new Ashdod Medical. Wavetrend will work with Israeli systems integrator Ardan Control on the project, which will be the largest active RFID installation in the Middle East.

Seattle-based RFID developer Impinj has announced the sale of its non-volatile memory intellectual property, including more than 50 patents, to integrated circuit designer Virage Logic for $5.2 million. The sale leaves Impinj free to focus solely on RFID technology.

Electronics manufacturer Murata has developed a tiny RFID module, called MAGICSTRAP, designed to enable product life cycle tracking while minimizing the amount RF expertise required to implement an RFID solution.

The product is introduced at a time when the manufacturing industry is being asked to manage product life cycle more precisely and efficiently, in part due to legislation on the disposal of home electronic equipment.

Texas Instruments Inc. has announced two additions to its Low Frequency RFID product family. The tags are designed for use in metal-heavy or industrial environments such as container tracking in waste management applications, vehicle identification and access control, oil refineries and other production environments.

3M Library Systems has launched an upgraded “basic” RFID tag with 1K of memory, a four-fold increase over its previous basic tag. The memory boost should make the tags compatible with possible future applications, increasing their longevity.

Bayer Material Science, one of the world's largest producers of polymers and high-performance plastics, will use InSync’s Edgeware software platform to deploy a series of RFID and sensor-enabled warehousing and logistics automation solutions

According to a new study, an individual pharmacy faces a price tag of between $84,000 and $110,000 to implement RFID systems which meet proposed federal safety mandates. This represents an average of 0.88% of annual sales for pharmacies; a figure which the industry group behind the report says is too much.

Georgetown University researchers have teamed with Gentag, and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to create a new non-invasive method of measuring blood glucose. The method uses disposable, RFID-enabled skin patches and cell phones to monitor glucose. It could eliminate the need for the traditional finger prick method to draw blood of diabetic patients.

The management of Active Control Technology Inc. believes its ActiveMine RFID-enabled system will soon receive certification from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). ActiveMine is a wireless communications and locating system for mines.

Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre has launched a trial of a robotic, RFID-enabled medication dispensing system, the first of its kind in Canada. The PharmaTrust Dispensary, developed by Ontario-based PCA Services Inc., will operate within Sunnybrook's pharmacy for three-month evaluation of patient experience with the automated dispensing process.

3M’s Track and Trace Solutions division has installed an RFID Smart Shelf System to track and manage the more than 150,000 medical files of U.S. Army personnel and their family members at Fort Hood, Texas, the nation’s largest active-duty domestic armed forces facility.

The custom-designed 3M RFID Smart Shelf System is part of a three-year, $3.76-million contract, and the centerpiece of a pilot program that may be extended to other military installations after a period of evaluation.

Wireless technologies producer Psion Teklogix and N4 Systems Inc., a provider of safety compliance and inspection management solutions, have teamed up to create a real-time RFID-based mobile data collection solution for safety compliance and inspection applications. The new system combines N4 Systems' Field ID software with Psion Teklogix' WORKABOUT PRO and Ikôn PDA mobile devices.

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.

Certain types of radio frequency identification tags can cause electromagnetic interference with medical equipment, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The report cautions facilities to check for interference from an RFID system before deploying it.

The study examined the impact of 125-kHz and 868-MHz frequencies on medical equipment. The 125-kHz is the technology used in proximity cards while the 868-MHz is a long-range RFID tag. Contactless smart cards, which use the 13.56 MHz, were not mentioned in the report.

RFID producer Intelleflex Corp. has announced a joint solution with Minds Inc., a information systems provider for the road construction and agriculture industries, to create a system that would automate tracking of crop harvesting.

The solution combines GPS, RFID and wireless communications technologies to provide real-time visibility into the time-sensitive operations of field harvesting. Using this solution, growers and harvesters can track the exact location, timing and efficiency of harvesters, as well as the arrival, loading and departure time of crop transport vehicles.

Motorola Inc. has received a contract to supply RFID solutions for Lufthansa Technik AG, a provider of aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul services. The Lufthansa Technik Logistik business will use Motorola’s technology to track aircraft components in its maintenance facilities.

RFID infrastructure provider Reva Systems has announced that Samsung SDS, a leading IT service provider in Korea, will utilize Reva TAP appliances in South Korea and other Asian markets.

Reva TAPs are purpose-built RFID Network Infrastructure appliances that provide RFID device control, data processing and infrastructure applications. TAPs are used at a facility level to manage the operations of RFID readers and other equipment, collect the raw tag data, process the data for accuracy, run edge applications, and then process the collected information and pass it on to enterprise applications and repositories.

Montreal joins the list of (often French-speaking) cities using RFID technology to create a public bike system. The Canadian city’s system, logically called the Public Bike System (PBS), takes the employment of wireless technology a bit further than the Paris-born Vélib systems described on RFIDnews.org last week.

Finnish RFID tag maker Confidex has introduced a new UHF RFID label designed for returnable plastic containers. The Confidex Carrier can adhere to plastic surfaces and is designed to withstand the heavy daily use experienced by plastic transit items like totes, crates and trays.

Alien Technology has unveiled an array of additional software features for its readers. The new software package, called Intelligent Tag Radar (ITR), enables the readers to determine the speed, direction and position of passive UHF RFID tags as they are identified, and to better pinpoint individual tags within a cluster or a read zone.

Checkpoint Systems Inc., a New Jersey-based provider of security and tracking devices for the retail sector, announced Monday that it will purchase RFID software maker OatSystems.

The two companies did not disclose the financial terms of the deal, beyond that it is an all-cash transaction which is expected to be closed within the next two weeks.

Released in early June, the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 24 (HSPD-24) mandates that U.S. government agencies use a standardized approach in the "collection, storage, use, analysis, and sharing of biometric and associated biographic and contextual information of individuals." The stated goal is to better enable cross-agency sharing of biometric data to identify known and suspected terrorists (KSTs). Host Chris Corum discusses the implications of the new directive with the International Biometric Industry Association's Walter Hamilton.

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Destron Fearing, a unit of Digital Angel, an advanced technology company in the field of animal identification and emergency identification solutions, has been awarded $885,000 in contracts with the Portland, OR-based Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), a federal agency under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, for Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) technology.

In its work with the BPA, Destron Fearing employs PIT technology in conjunction with a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) antenna to monitor salmon movement in the dam passages in the Columbia and Snake River Basins in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

NXP Semiconductors announced that the Max Planck Institute for European History of Law Library has chosen the Longlife RFID labels from Bibliotheca RFID Library Systems. The new system is based on the ICODE SLI-SY chip. This latest ICODE product offers a 40-year data lifespan to produce a solution that offers long-term data integrity.

The German research institute will begin the rollout of the new RFID library solution for its archive of 320,000 assets. The Max Planck Institute Library in Frankfurt houses collections of historic resources and secondary literature about the development of European Law

Merial revealed a combination RFID tag and tissue collection device for use with the IGENITY profile for cattle ranchers. Producers can now collect a tissue sample needed for the comprehensive IGENITY profile and apply an RFID tag in one simple and efficient step.

RFID tags are becoming an essential, and in some states a mandatory, tool for cattle ranchers. They are instrumental for participation in source and age verification programs, export markets and more. The RFID tag from IGENITY can be read with any standard RFID reader. Producers can use the tag to attach a valuable data set, including the comprehensive IGENITY profile, to a specific animal. The IGENITY profile provides multiple-marker analyses of economically important traits from a single tissue sample.

IPICO Inc. and McMaster RFID Applications Laboratory have been awarded a $1.2 million (Canadian dollars) grant to create an RFID system that would capture and analyze data related to traffic use and capacity, without a corresponding increase in investment in road infrastructure. The technology also could be used to help manage traffic, reducing road delays and transit time, and then reduce both emissions and dependency on fossil fuels.

The grant was from the International Science and Technology Partnerships Canada Inc. and the Global Innovation & Technology Alliance. McMaster and IPICO will work with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and Strategic Consultants, both of New Delhi, India.

The consortium had submitted a proposal to develop and create a platform for a specially designed passive commercial RFID transponder that would be capable of carrying significant, safe, secure and accurate information pertaining to the vehicle itself, including its identity. This information collected would be used to manage transportation flows on highways and roads.

TrenStar announced that it has been awarded a patent for its RFID asset management process. The patent was granted based on TrenStar's ability to capture data from multiple points, transmit unique asset identifiers to a data network, and then configure that network to provide detailed asset movement data in the form of custom reports.

TrenStar's approach to tracking and managing assets has centered on driving information back to its client base. TrenStar was granted the patent because its process did not conclude with simply capturing data, but instead focused on storing, analyzing and granting its users access to that data in various forms.

AAID Security Solutions, an manufacturer and distributor of Ultra Long Range RFID Readers, Tags, Accessories and announced a partnership with Merlin 360 in the UK as a distributor for its Ultrasonic real time location services tags, readers and software for North and South America. Merlin 360 provides electronic personnel security, asset tracking, monitoring and control services with Ultrasound tracking. The system operates on a sensor and badge system where it is able to track and locate people and assets throughout a defined area.

While other reader offerings rely on tag manufacturers to provide security for RFID tags, SkyeTek supplies RFID readers that implement security onto generic tags, providing cost savings as well as investment protection by enabling customers to switch tags without penalty.

This newer approach to tag security enables original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and product designers to control their own security requirements. In addition, with reader-driven security on generic tags, manufacturers can take advantage of encryption without the cost of a proprietary tag.

Some tag manufacturers provide no tag security at all, and the ones that do sell those tags at a premium. As part of a security solution, SkyeTek supports several proprietary encryption algorithms that are tailored to provide security for specific markets such as ticketing.

Swipe your RFID-enabled ID card and jet away on the three-speed bicycle. That’s the idea behind Vélib, according to a story in this week’s issue of Time magazine.

Pay $40 a year and have access to the bikes at stations across the city. Vélib is based in Paris, but is coming to the U.S. Washington is launching a program this summer. Other cities are looking at the programs as well, including Boulder, Colo.; Charlottesville, Va.; and Gainesville, Fla.

Read the full story here.

Going to the library is a common occurrence, but it can sometimes be difficult to find a comfortable place to sit. Dutch designer Jelte van Geest has solved the problem and designed an RFID-enabled chair that follows a user around while in the facility.

A user swiped the RFID ID card in front of the chair’s sensor and then it follows you around the library. One the user crosses a line near the checkout counter the chair returns to its docking station.

Read the full story here.

Airport workers and air carrier employees require access to secure areas in sensitive airport locations. Currently there is no standard for a strong authentication credential to identify these workers as they move within and between airports. The Transportation Security Administration is investigating such a credential through its Aviation Credential Interoperability Solution (ACIS). Avisian Publishing's Chris Corum and the TSA's ACIS Program Manager Chris Runde provide insight into the potential biometric solution in this edition of the re:ID Podcast.

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Datamars, an RFID solutions provider, and ABS Laundry Business Solutions, a specialist in automation and logistics solutions for the textile rental business worldwide, have partnered to create RFID solutions for the textile rental and industrial laundry markets. The alliance is another reflection of the growing demand for RFID technology in the textile and laundry industries.

Datamars and ABS have developed a modular approach, bundling hardware and software components to deliver a total solution that can meet individual businesses’ needs and budgets. The ABS-Datamars system includes garment and mat tracking, stockroom management and order processing, as well as offering clients efficient processes for production information and management, time registration, mobile applications and e-commerce services.

In addition to developing, designing and manufacturing a broad range of RFID tags, readers and antennas for the RFID solution, Datamars will also offer consulting and integration services.

Two recent studies illustrate the tremendous potential growth analysts are predicting for the RFID industry in the next few years.

First, IDTechEx has offered a new look at the entire industry, and the consulting company predicts that global demand for RFID will reach $5.3 billion this year and climb to $27 billion in 2018. The U.S. and China continue to spend the most on RFID, and the apparel business is implementing the technology at a particularly rapid pace.

The majority of spending on RFID relates to passive-tag systems and high-frequency and ultra-high frequency technologies, according to the research. “Real-Time Locating Systems (RTLS) are currently the hottest form of active RFID,” according to IDTechEx.

Alanco Technologies has announced that its subsidiary Alanco/TSI Prism, a provider of real-time RFID tracking technologies, has won a $3.3 million contract to create an RFID-based inmate tracking system for the Washington D.C. Department of Corrections.

The Alanco/TSI Prism system, which will combine Alanco's TSI Prism RFID system with Wi-Fi compatible RTLS technology from AeroScout, will be installed at a Washington DC jail complex housing over 2,000 prisoners and staffed by 450 DOC employees. The system is intended to increase safety and improve inmate accountability.

When one thinks of industries where precise inventory tracking is an absolute must, high-end fashion for children is perhaps the first one that comes to mind. So it will come as no surprise that Boboli, one of Spain's premier fashion houses for children, is piloting an RFID deployment program to track and manage items from manufacturing through point-of-sale.

The asset tracking system, using components from TAGSYS, Avery Dennison, and Spanish tech company CETEMMSA, will initially scan inbound and outbound warehouse shipments, and then expand to include store-level inventory scans at the manufacturer’s stores. The pilot program will cover 10 percent of Boboli's production inventory with plans to expand full RFID deployment throughout all items. Boboli produces over two million items per year that are distributed in 30 owned and operated shops worldwide.

Boboli is the first Spanish brand apparel manufacturer to invest in an RFID item-level tracking system

Australian company Syscan International has announced a system that creates ad hoc RFID networks by enabling tags to communicate with other tags. The system, called iCE (intelligent Communication Enabled), is designed to resolve RFID constraints such as read reliability and range and energy consumption.

The system uses a master–slave relationship, with the master tag able to read the slave tags that are assigned to it. The slave tags report to the master which in turn reports to an iCE UMCD (universal monitoring and communication device) or an iCE reader. This inter-relationship is used to improve performance, battery life and range. Syscan claims iCE can achieve up to a 350-metre read range with this arrangement.

The UMCD developed for the system offers two configurations. The iCE UMCD-G sends the information it has gathered to a Syscan server using a GPRS Cellular network or Wi-Fi network, the iCE UMCD-E uses a company network or internet connection to forward the information to the server. Email, text messages and phone alerts can be added as an option with either configuration.

Hewlett-Packard has introduced a new service which enables clients to track their critical data center assets. The HP Factory Express RFID Service automates and tracks device movement, eliminating the need for employees to manually track inventory.

The HP tagging process scans factory-built HP components such as servers, storage devices and rack enclosures before they are incorporated into a client’s data center, and provides an accurate inventory of the assets throughout their life cycle. The service can provide real-time supply chain visibility, helping to reduce property loss, increase security and improve audit controls.

There are two levels of the service available. The HP RFID Factory Express Standard Service includes standard generation-two RFID tags affixed to specific HP products or packaging with a unique Electronic Product Code assignment and data tracking capabilities. The HP RFID Factory Express Custom Service allows for customized RFID tag placement and additional RFID services from HP that transmit RFID tracking information from the factory to the customer.

Yubico CEO and founder Stina Ehrensvärd talks with host Ryan Kline about the Yubikey, a new authentication solution, designed for web 2.0 applications. It works by having the user insert it in any computer with a USB port on any platform or browser without having to install any client software. The user then presses the YubiKey button to generate a one time passcode. Listen as they sidcuss topics about the Yubikey such as cost, implementations and the open source nature of the device.

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Impinj Inc., a UHF gen 2 RFID vendor, has announced an implementation in food freshness and customer safety with the METRO Group. At the launch of their Future Store, METRO Group began using RFID in the butchery to guarantee freshness, increase customer safety and manage inventory.

METRO Group adds an Impinj Monza powered tag to each meat package before placing it in a customer-facing Smart Freezer. Approximately 50 Impinj Speedway readers and 200 Impinj near-field UHF antennas inside the Smart Freezer continually monitor the "best before" date for each package and alert store personnel to remove goods before they reach that date. Additional read points at both point-of-sale terminals and exit gates make sure that stock levels are accurately monitored at all times.

A heart stent and balloon can cost up to $3,000 each and a pacemaker can go for $30,000, according to the Boston Globe. Making sure these devices are on site before starting a procedure is critical and RFID technology has helped Boston-area hospitals do just that.

UMass Memorial Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital all have various types of RFID project in place. The systems enable the hospitals to track medical supplies and manage the supply chain.

Read the full story here.

Intelligent Global Pooling Systems (iGPS) has announced that Dole Fresh Vegetables has successfully completed its test of iGPS plastic RFID-enabled pallets. The company plans to expand use of the pallets throughout its supply chain.

The produce company has developed a system that links product UPC codes to the codes embedded in the pallets, and has determined the pallets are functional from the field to end users. The pallets are also compatible with the reusable plastic containers which Dole uses to transport its product.

In addition to being RFID and barcode-enabled, iGPS pallets 100% recyclable, weigh 30% less than standard wooden pallets, and are fire-retardant. Dole joins producers such as Imperial Sugar, Pilgrims Pride and Martori Farms in adopting the plastic pallets.

TOSHIBA TEC Europe has released new UHF RFID modules for its Auto ID label printers. The modules operate under EPC Gen 2 UHF technology standards and can easily be fitted in all TOSHIBA TEC RFID ready printers.

Among the changes introduced in this new generation of printer modules are Gray Area Detection, SPRiNT Gen 2 Printing and a data processing performance double that of previous TOSHIBA kits. The modules are also designed for easy transition to future EPC classes.

Suntron Corp., a provider of integrated electronic manufacturing solutions and design solutions, has announced a deal to manufacture RFID products for asset tracking systems provider Awarepoint.

As part of the agreement, Suntron use its Tijuana manufacturing facility to produce circuit board assemblies for Awarepoint. Awarepoint is a San Diego-based provider of active RFID systems for the health care and manufacturing industries.

Coradyn Biosystems LLC, a start-up in the field of smart sensor materials, has licensed a responsive, conductive polymer technology from the University of Texas at Austin. The company believes the technology has applications as a biosensor or chemosensor for RFID, wireless, hand held or laboratory devices; and expects to use it in molecular sensor devices in a wide array of industries

Coradyn is focusing on conductive polymeric materials that can be customized to recognize a broad range of analytes and convert that recognition into a measurable electronic signal, producing similar results to those of biological reagents used in clinical testing. This technology could be used in a broad range of applications, including a form of personal health monitoring using RFID implants.

IBM has expanded its IBM Innovation Center in Bangalore in response what it sees as a growing demand for IT resources by the burgeoning technology community in India.

The center is intended to assist smaller players in the tech world, from start-up companies and software developers to IT professionals and academics, in growing their IT skills, creating new software and hardware applications and services, and introducing their innovations to the global marketplace. It also provides IBM with an early chance to become partnered with these potential innovators.

Dallas-based GlobeRanger has announced its Smart Network Appliance Product (SNAP), designed to bundle software for RFID network-edge data processing, workflows, and applications into hardware. SNAP is based on the company's iMotion platform but does not run from a central server.

According to GlobeRanger representatives, SNAP is an improvement over tradition server-oriented appliance products, which work well for deployment at individual sites but not as well in large, multi-site locations. SNAP is intended to be smaller, lighter solution easily deployed to provide a consistent integrated system at multiple locations.

iDTRONIC has introduced two versions of a new RFID industrial reader/writer called Bluebox, capable of reading and writing LF and HF tags in harsh industrial environments. The devices are resistant to temperatures up to 55 degrees Celsius and are completely sealed against moisture and dust.

The 125 kHz version of the Bluebox reader/writer supports all EM 4100, 4550, NXP Hitag 1/S and Atmel Temic 5567 tags and is available with 5 different external antennas. The ISO 15693 version of the new Industrial Reader/Writer supports ISO15693, ISO14443A/B and the MIFARE family of tags, and is available with two different external antennas.

The Bluebox is able to store up to 30,000 tags which can be preprogrammed to customer requirements, and is capable of accurate readings in high tag density environments.

VeriChip, providers of RFID systems for the health care industry, is calling attention to the results of an independent study presented at the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine's annual meeting. The study examined how VeriChip’s electronic medical record access system affects the costs of emergency room care during a mass casualty scenario.

The study concluded that use of the VeriChip system for access to patient records significantly decreased the emergency care charges among critically injured patients in the mass casualty scenario, with a mean decrease in ordered charges of $685.67 per patient. Theoretically, according to the researchers, this translates into over $15 billion in decreased emergency care charges annually for critically ill patients presenting in the emergency room, if the wounded were implanted with the VeriChip device.

Cephalon Inc. has selected OAT's RFID solution for serialized shipment container tracking, extending its SAP Auto-ID Infrastructure for RFID reach to operational processes and workflows. Cephalon is an international biopharmaceutical company that has been testing RFID technology for the past three years to improve supply chain efficiency and visibility. RFID serialized container tracking will support efforts to combat counterfeiting as well as improve process execution.

OAT's RFID solution was integrated with SAP Solution for RFID to enable serialized shipping container tracking and to set the foundation for tracking drug pedigrees. Cephalon has architected SAP Auto-ID Infrastructure as an extension of its core ERP processes for serialized product and containers to enrich standard processes around deliveries, advanced shipping notices, pick/pack/ship and handling.

Swiss company Bones Inc. has introduced a new PDA incorporating RFID to help the blind and visually-impaired negotiate everyday tasks more easily.

Users of the Milestone 312 can attach RFID tags to household objects like clothing or CDs and then scan them with the PDA’s embedded Texas Instruments multi-standard RFID reader. Once scanned, the user can record voice notes identifying the objects using the PDA’s speech capability. Future scans of the object will offer an audio label synced to the tag.

The device can also be used outside the home, to help navigate public transportation, shop, or even to explore museums. Swiss city St. Gallen has installed reference tags for all public transport.

GEL-AL, the largest sock manufacturer in Europe, reports a 40% improvement in productivity at its flagship production facility due to a new RFID tracking system. The Turkey-based sock maker, which produces over 83 million pairs of socks for sportswear companies around the world, uses a closed loop tote application created by Alien Technology’s Turkish partner STS.

Approximately 20,000 sock-filled plastic totes travel throughout the various production stations at GEL-AL’s Istanbul plant each day. STS’s solution places an Alien inlay in each tote. The inlays are pre-programmed with a unique asset code consisting of the tote ID number, the work order and the sequence number. There are twenty read points positioned around the facility, with roughly thirty totes passing the various reading points at any given time.

The New Zealand government has pledged $23.3 million (New Zealand dollars) to create a system of mandatory RFID-tagging for all of the country’s farm-raised cattle and deer by 2011. The funding for the biosecurity project will cover its set-up costs, with a new tax likely to be levied to support operational costs.

Under the proposed National Animal Identification and Tracing project, each farm animal will be assigned a unique code that will be stored in a database alongside details such as the age, sex and breed of the animal, its owner, its herd of origin and the identification number of the property on which it is located. The project would also create FarmsOnLine, an online database that will store up-to-date electronic maps of farms along with their contact and stock details.

OATSystems plans to integrate Cisco Systems’ new Context-aware Mobility Solution with its RFID applications to enable OAT customers to run critical RFID applications over the Cisco Unified Wireless Network now, and virtually any wireless network in the future.

Among the RFID applications OATSystems bring to the collaboration are its OATIndustrial Asset Tracking, with which users can follow the movement of assets and reusable containers throughout the supply chain, and OATIndustrial Work-In-Process, which can be used to streamline manufacturing processes.

“Our collaboration [with Cisco] will reduce the time to deploy RFID solutions by integrating flexible, standards-based RFID applications more tightly with existing business processes,” Venkat Krishnamurthy, chief technology officer for OATSystems.

The Chinese Olympic Committee has offered more details about the RFID-enabled tickets being issued for the Beijing Olympics this summer. All tickets to the opening and closing ceremonies will include RFID tags containing personal information about the ticket holder, including passport information and home and e-mail addresses.

The information is included in an attempt to thwart counterfeiting of the tickets, which have a face value of $720. But the tickets raise concern among security experts, who theorize that an extremely secure RFID system to handle the tickets could cause serious tie-ups at the gates, while a lax security system would make ticket holders’ personal data easy prey to hackers. Officials say the Games' security team will employ an IT team of at least 4,000 experts with 1,000 servers at their disposal, testing the system for the next two months.

Officials originally planned to embed RFID tags in all 6.8 million tickets issued for Olympics events. These plans apparently went by the wayside, along with a plan to include place a photo of each ticket holder on their ticket. The RFID tags will only be in tickets for the opening and closing events, and photos of the tickets released to the press show no photos on them.

RFID Global has launched its Jewelry 1 system, designed to provide item level jewelery inventory tracking. The system features an RFID jewelry tag catalog system, rapid inventory traking and the ability to issue quotes and invoices.

The Jewelry 1 system is particularly targeted at salespeople on the road, with a portable design and a weight of less than 3 kg. It works with a standard PC running a Windows XP operating system.

Two companies bringing technology to the ski slope have joined forces. Resort Technology Partners, a provider of software and web services for the resort and recreation industries, and SKIDATA AG, a provider of RFID-enabled access control systems, have announced a partnership agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will develop a joint solution for companies in the ski resort, amusement park, attraction and stadium industries.

Resort Technology Partners specializes in technology solutions for resort and recreation businesses which integrates its point-of-sale software with e-commerce, web design and distribution services. SKIDATA designs solutions focusing on ski tags with embedded RFID, which enable both access to ski slopes and additional products and services to improve operator efficiency while enhancing the guest experience. The companies’ joint product will utilize SKIDATA's access control technology and RTP's enterprise ticketing and point-of-sale system, RTP|ONE.

The Information and Telecommunication Technology Center (ITTC) at the University of Kansas has announced its Agility Tag, a new RFID tag that can function well on conducting surfaces with much less buffering than foam attached tags (FAT) currently on the market.

Researchers say the Agility Tag is readable from 15 to 20 feet away when placed near metal and operates reliably and efficiently regardless of its location, compared to the less than six feet average read distance for a FAT tag when near metal. The Agility Tag uses only one-eighth inch of foam as a base, while FAT tags require as much as one-fourth inch.

RFID start-up Mojix and Rush Tracking Systems, a consulting company offering a range of services to businesses adopting RFID technology, have announced a strategic reseller agreement. Under the agreement, Rush Tracking Systems will offer the Mojix STAR (Space Time Array Reader) system to its clients.

Last month, Mojix announced their STAR system, claiming it was capable of enhancing the range of low-cost passive RFID tags and potentially cutting the costs of large-scale tracking systems up to 25%. Rush Tracking Systems already claims a number of RFID industry leaders as partners.

European retailer Metro Group has created a pilot program with Avery Dennison RFID to explore the possibilities of "meat-tagging" to track perishable meat in its Future Store showcase facility in Toenisvorst, Germany.

The retailer will use the AD-222 inlay from Avery Dennison RFID to tag foam meat packing trays used in the Future Store. The goal is to improve management of the flow of perishable products, improve restocking times and cut costs.

"RFID has a key role to play in quality management for fresh food. This automatic product identification technology will contribute to product quality and efficiency in our stores," said Dr. Gerd Wolfram, managing director of MGI METRO Group Information Technology.

TAGSYS has announced a new RFID product line designed for textile supply and service companies. The new solution set operates up to two times faster than previous generation systems while maintaining accuracy, allowing textile service companies to add or improve service levels to their customers.

The product line features an encapsulated tag family - the ARIO 370L-HL and ARIO 370L-DL ISO 15693 tags - designed to withstand extreme humidity, temperature, pressure and chemical applications. Tags are guaranteed to survive 200+ wash cycles, and offer improved performance in electrically noisy environments. Also included in the product line are reader stations with improved read ranges and speeds, and the TS400 RFID Tunnel, which integrates RFID technology with existing factory automation equipment and processes.

U.K.-based supply chain provider Intellident has introduced a new “smart shelf” system designed to detect the precise location of RFID-tagged items. The modular smartBlade system can be affixed to existing shelving to create automatic item-level tracking capabilities.

Originally designed to track books in libraries, Intellident has added additional features, such as flashing LED displays to highlight where on a shelf an item is located or to alert when stock is running low, to make the system functional in other industries.

German RFID hardware maker iDTRONIC has introduced its new Indus disctag designed to endure a variety of harsh industrial climates. The new tag is is designed to be resistant to any kind of external damage, due to a protective overlay layer made from PPS lamination.

The protective layer is resistant to abrasion, impact and corrosion, as well as humidity and a wide range of aggressive chemicals. The disc can also withstand temperatures up to 90 degrees Celsius, and is relatively unaffected by the presence of metals or liquids.

The Indus disctags are available in a range of diameters from 13 to 30 mm with a thickness of 2.5 mm, allowing it to perform well in most industrial environments. They are designed to well-suited for the identification of goods and objects in industrial, logistics and production applications.

Batronics America, a subsidiary of Batronics India, has introduced to the U.S. market its RFID-enabled wristband system which automates the administering of a patient’s pain medication.

The system includes a locked medication-on-demand (MoD) device. Nurses use an RFID-enabled identification card to access the MoD and fill it with the appropriate medications. Patients are issued wristbands programmed with prescription dosage and frequency. When a patient approaches the MoD, they select a number on a sliding dial to indicate their pain level, on a scale of 1 to 10. The MoD reads the patient’s wristband, and then issues the appropriate medication.

The Belgian company RFIDEA will provide RFID-enabled security access at September’s Belgian Formula 1 Grand-Prix race held at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. The company’s system will feature 300,000 tickets with embedded RFID chips and a network of more than 80 checkpoints. Each ticket’s chip will be preprogrammed with details of the access level allowed the ticket-holder.

RFIDEA provided similar services for the 2007 race, implementing a system that provided improved security and better fluidity of VIP access.

GE Healthcare and CenTrak Inc. have introduced a new RFID solution which enables hospitals to create “virtual walls” to help pinpoint the location of mobile medical equipment in large rooms.

GE’s Asset Optimization System creates subdivisions within rooms as small as six feet by eight feet, the typical size of small patient bays, often curtained off for privacy, used in large hospital wards. With the system, a RFID-tagged piece of equipment can be easily tracked to a specific patient bay, an enhancement of traditional RFID room-level accuracy.

“Our customers tell us that reliable accuracy, along with cost, are the two most important factors in choosing among current RFID systems,” said Bret Barczak, general manager of Services & Solutions for GE Healthcare. ”Most systems capable of providing higher than room-level accuracy, like ultra wide band, traditionally have been cost prohibitive. The Asset Optimization System allows health care providers to create virtual RFID rooms where higher level intelligence, tracking and reporting are more valuable, particularly in places like the OR and ED.”

TriQuint Semiconductor, a foundry services provider and RF semiconductor manufacturer, has announced the approval of its acquisition of WJ Communications Inc., a supplier of RF solutions for wireless infrastructure. WJ’s product line complements TriQuint's existing portfolio, broadening its networks market devices and adding RF design expertise.

WJ Communications stockholders approved the merger yesterday, based the merger agreement dated March 9, 2008.

In an effort to simplify the adoption of RFID technology in its country, the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) plans to offer an array of new national standards for its use by year end. The standards, to be applied to both private industry and the public sector, will cover areas such as RFID implementation guidelines and supply chain management applications.

KATS hopes the guidelines will be used for promoting the industry by defining frequency bands, codes and installation/testing methods in plain language. The standards will be based on international guidelines already in use, which will ease introduction of foreign innovations into South Korea.

KATS plans to complete standardization of 60 core RFID technologies s this year and establish applied technology standards on the national level with other government agencies.