OSU BA 370 - RFID Technology: Going Beyond the Barcode”

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“RFID Technology: Going Beyond the Barcode” Friedrichsen, Frierson & GraggAbstractRadio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a technology that involves incredibly small, durable and mobile integrated circuits that communicate information through wireless transmissions. This technology, despite being fifty years old, is only now tapping into its vast potential. Indeed, RFID is already being used in supply chain management, access security, anti-counterfeiting, anti-theft and medical applications, with many other potential uses in its foreseeable future. However, RFID technology also poses some important privacy and ethical concerns that must be addressed for it to realize its full potential. Regardless, RFID is a rapidly emerging technology that will surely have a dramatic global impact on how goods are exchanged and how authenticityand security are provided, so much to the point that the technology will become integrated into peoples’ daily lives and help drive business for the next few decades.1“RFID Technology: Going Beyond the Barcode” Friedrichsen, Frierson & GraggIntroductionTechnology allows for amazing things to occur all throughout the world. Through employing science and engineering, new devices and objects have been developed that have greatly affected the way the global community operates. The utilization of electricity over the course of the last 250 years, the emergence of the automobile and airplane over the last century, as well as the modern computer over the last thirty years all represent excellent examples of the extent to which technological innovations can drastically impact the entire world. Currently, another such technology, potent enough to drastically affect the entire planet and how it operates in a multitude of ways, is being developed and implemented. This technology is known as RFID, and it is being implemented in everything from money to clothes to food packaging and in doing so raises important privacy and security concerns. Although RFID is a promising and already rapidly emerging technology in our current society, its use raises many societal concerns and questions, as well as a number of technical issues that must be solved before it can succeed in becoming a truly pervasive and ubiquitous technology. History of RFIDsRFIDs, short for Radio Frequency Identification, is not actually a new technology, but rather has been refined over the years as it has been to suit various different purposes. From simply looking at the types of applications that RFIDs were initially used for, we can see how adaptable and versatile this technology truly can be.Initial DevelopmentThe roots of RFID technology can be traced back to the IFF (Identify Friend or Foe) technology used by the British Royal Air Force during World War II (Proc). Essentially, this technology was implemented in the British radar systems and their aircraft so they would have a method to easily identify, as the name states, whether an aircraft was friendly or an enemy; it wasneeded due to Britain’s proximity to German-occupied France. IFF worked via a transponder in 2“RFID Technology: Going Beyond the Barcode” Friedrichsen, Frierson & Graggthe aircraft that picked up the radar signals hitting the aircraft and responded by sending its own signal back. While technically this is not the precise way that RFID functions, the IFF technology is responsible for the basic idea and fundamental design that lead to modern RFID technologies. Initial ImplementationSome of the first (and still current) uses of the RFID technology were the tagging of livestock and some of the United States’ nuclear assets. In addition, RFIDs have been and are now used to track the whereabouts of shipping containers, such as during transport on trains.Nuclear Assets. In the 1970’s the Department of Energy asked LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory) to develop a system for tracking nuclear materials. Similar to the systems we see in stores today, there would be readers setup at the gates and tags in the trucks and cargo of the trucks. In this system, the tags sent back an ID as well as other information, such as the ID of the truck driver .Tracking LivestockThe Energy Department was not the only ones who asked LANL to develop RFID technology for them; the Agricultural Department also request that LANL research a system for tracking livestock. One of the main problems they were having was keeping track of whether or not a cow had been given medicine or hormones. Thus, LANL came up with a 125 kHz passive RFID system in which a glass encapsulated RFID could be implanted under the cow’s skin.Developed ImplementationAs technological advancements always progress, RFID technology capabilities increase while also becoming cheaper. Because of this, companies are able to implement this technology in new ways and on larger scales, including tasks such as container tracking, cashless tollbooth collection or (more currently) supply chain management.Container Tracking3“RFID Technology: Going Beyond the Barcode” Friedrichsen, Frierson & GraggCompanies in Europe first began using RFIDs to track shipping containers, but US companies were not far behind. In fact, in 1991 the Association of American Railways set a standard for RFID container tagging. Some of these rail systems have developed into RFID reader stations including digital imaging that can confirm a train’scargo as it passes by.Cashless TollboothsCashless Tollbooths were employedin Norway as early as 1987 (Bonsor).However, one of the most effectivecollection systems is located in England.The Tyne Tunnel was a heavily traffickedarea which experienced heavy delaysbecause of the toll collection needed.Needless to say with an RFID system wherecars do not even have to stop, delays havebeen immensely reduced. Essentially, theRFID tag in the car is linked to a credit card, and charges go on a monthly statement instead of paying for them each time the car passes the toll station. Cars can travel up to 35 miles per hour and still have their tag read, drastically reducing congestion on busy toll roads and bridges. How RFID WorksRFID TagsThere are 3 basic components that make RFIDs work in most environments (Wikipedia). The first is an RFID tag. The tag is where the serial number of the item is held in one of several ways depending on the type of RFID (passive or active). Each tag broadcasts a unique identification number that can be identified by a receiver. Tags


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