In Singapore Science Centre one time, we did this ( see video ) for 10,000 sq metres of space. We started with Ekahau version 2.0. Obviously since that time, there have been improvements to the engine I would think. The most current version is up till 4.1.
This is a typical calibration stage when you train the software to recognize spaces, and context.
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One of the biggest challenges that diamond traders face with is in managing the hundreds if not thousands of loose gems. Imagine walking into the office with all these envelopes of precious loose stones stacked in boxes and …………………
try figure what is the current inventory status for the goods.
If you are using a barcode scanner, life is probably prettier although still rather tedious. For some it is an entirely MANUAL task, an extremely laborious job. It will take ages just to make sure all the numbers tally.
What if there is a better solution? Like sticking the box through a tunnel-like scanner, and everything about your inventory reads out to you on the screen?
The RFID Answer
Diamonds are placed in an individual envelope, and each envelope is stacked in a box like the above ( see figure above ). RFID tags are then stuck to the envelope (paper label) or inserted (non- adhesive plastic card), one tag for each envelope. When the user pushes the box through the scanner, it reads the information stored in the tag for each envelop and display the entire inventory for a single box on the screen. This is a HUGE man hours saver.
RFID ROI Question
100 tags can be identified in 1-2 seconds.
Take a scenario of 10,000 diamonds. In terms of equipment resources using this solution, it will require 2 x MTR units (the tunnel like scanner above), operated by 1 person. In terms of time, it will take approximate 5 hours to complete inventory check procedure. Contrast this to a manual system. For 10,000 diamonds, it will require 20 persons over 3 weeks thereabouts.
That comes up to 15 minutes per diamond vs 5 minutes per 100 diamonds. It’s a great saving in man-hours, no doubt about it.
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Do you like to find out more, or meet other RFID folks out there? Join us at Facebook group, RFID Spotlight. Click on the image below to jumpstart.
Are you interested to meet with fellow RFID developers, source out RFID Hardware folks? I recently started a RFID Spotlight Facebook Group with the aim to bring together RFID programmer and hardware providers to share resources and experience. Its just a great way to network and meet people in this field. I made it easy for you to find us, so come and join us by following the link below.
Coming back to the subject of this post. Previously I shared When do we use Real Time Location Systems (RTLS), I will continue to share on the pros and cons of using WIFI based RTLS. We had previously used both Ekahau and Placelab for projects. Although I do not rule out some situations that suggest to us RFID based RTLS system is more superior, in general there are just more tangible benefits to choose WIFI based RTLS systems.
Some benefits of using a WIFI based RTLS are:
Depending on the requirements for location granularity, if done properly WIFI based RTLS systems like Ekahau produce high tracking accuracies. Ranging on average between 1 metre - 3 metres indoors.
Reuse and leverage on existing WIFI infrastructure. Why spend all that money to invest in a proprietary RFID infrastructure that cannot be reused?
Quick ROI for WIFI investments by enabling other location-based applications or wireless applications.
With growing categories of devices built-in with WIFI, organizations can also track other assets such as PDAs, mobile phones, laptops and any other WIFI enabled devices. Ekahau client application supports a number of PDA devices.
The cons associated with WIFI based RTLS are :
Lack of Scalability : RTLS like EPE requires pre-calibration.In the language of Placelab, it means we need to train the system to “learn” about places on the map in relation to actual real locations. It is fine if you are calibrating for a bunch of classrooms in a small area, however it becomes increasingly complex to calibrate for large spaces - *think* stadium, 30-floors building, airport. EPE has a feature to “merge” calibration data of different maps ( e.g. one map for each floor ) which allows us to distribute that load among a few good persons. However the results from the merged calibrated data often falls short of the required accuracy, in fact occasionally erratic. Packages like Placelab also do not have “merge” capabilities.
Location Model. WIFI based RTLS builds a location model ground-up from inputs such as RSSI of any given location. RSSI as you know can be affected by structures, especially solid steel structures and even moving bodies, partitions etc. Several environment issues may potentially affect these variables - access points ( *imagine* a segment of WIFI access points crash out ), structures that block signals, new partitions etc. Particularly in a museum environment, where new exhibitions are frequently replaced every other quarter and new walls/partitions being built, the original location model may be “damaged”. In situations like this, the rule of thumb is to update the calibration model every three to four months.
WIFI Power Intensive. This is as plain as vanilla gets. WIFI is a pure power sucker. Its pure wishful thinking that a PDA with WIFI turned on can last more than 3 hours. Bearing in mind the fact, PDA internal battery actually performs poorer over time. It means a new WIFI PDA may last 2 - 3 hour the first time it is used; after several months of continual usage, it may last no more than 1 hour with WIFI turned on.
Well I hope we provided some notes (above) to help make your final decisions on RTLS implementations. Look forward to any form of comments to add to my points…
This is part 1 of 2 on RTLS. The idea is to give an introductory to RTLS and follow up with the pros and cons of RTLS in relation to an actual implementation.
Since the rise of RFID, everyone has something they want to track. From the big boys in the ranks of Wal-Mart, Metro AG, to small-mid-size inventory based setups, are quickly harvesting every RFID feature to reap its benefits. We have received some enquiries from tagging jewellery (*obviously*) , to producing RFID labels for medical bottles, tracking WIP items on manufacturing floor, to keeping tabs on people/patients real time. So the question is, can “one size” fit all?
Certainly not. RFID comes in several types and each may likely be more suitable for specific applications - (1) Passive based RFID (2) Semi-Passive RFID and (3) Active based RFID. For passive based RFID, they are further sub divided into LF, HF, UHF.
What I hope to share is on the practicality of Active RFID, or the term coined “Real Time Location Systems”. First to explain what it is. Real Time Locations Systems, commonly abbreviated RTLS generally falls into two implementation groups. The first uses RFID technology while the second approach adopts Wireless LAN, specifically what is commonly known as WIFI. It is debatable which technology was first used in RTLS; some say RFID and the other camp claims WIFI.
It was 2002 when we started working on RTLS based projects. Since that time, I have consulted in several projects that make use of RTLS. Our team has also developed several mobile applications using engines such as Ekahau Positioning Engine and Placelab.
Now, there are several options available in the market for RTLS. This is a list of WIFI based RTLS products, and you will notice one on the list is based on open source :
At the time of this writing, RTLS systems have also been implemented using Ultrawide Band (UWB) technology. RTLS setup at its basic, consists of a battery operated tag/badge that communicates with readers/beacons strategically placed within a building, park etc. In WIFI based RTLS, the active tag wireless transmits RSSI data to the location engine server on the wireless network. The location engine acts on the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) information for each device and calculates the coordinates which represent the device’s location on the map.
Not to be confused with passive based RFID, RTLS serves specific usage scenarios which cannot handled well (or efficiently) by HF or UHF RFID systems.
RTLS Use Case : In general RTLS use case will have a specific requirement to track assets or people whose locations are arbitrary at any point of time. For example, in a hospital there is an increasing requirement to track hospital mobile assets such as infusion pumps, beds, wheelchairs. With these assets, there are no associated planned routes that can suggest strategic placements of HF/UHF RFID readers. It is almost impractical to plant RFID interrogators at every corner, on every floor of a facility. Because of the short reading distance of passived based RFID systems, you will need at least one RFID reader every 3 - 5 metres (for HF systems every 1.5 metres) !!
In relation to this, a typical RTLS use case will require the future system in providing very fine granular localized information of its asset. Engines such as those from Ekahau, AeroScouts and NIST can provide tracking average accuracy of mere metres. Walking along corridors, Ekahau Positioning Engine in particular performs localization on average accuracy of one to two metres.
A key deciding factor on using RTLS, as the name implies concerns timing. Active tags being powered by batteries can be programmed to repeatedly send out signals (packets) in very short intervals of time. The location engine consumes these packets calculates the device’s approximate location. Typically active tags is able to “contact” a nearby beacon or access point in distances ranging from 25 metres to 100 metres, depending on the grade of access points used. In stark contrast, passive tags relies fully on RFID readers to power itself. With the uncertainty that a passive tag may be sufficiently close enough to a reader, there is considerably low chances the tag can even be detected to begin with.
In summary a typical RTLS use case will have at least one of the following requirements :
No pre-determined path. Need to “find” assets or people who can be anywhere at any point of time.
Application needs to track the exact position of an asset or person down to mere metres within the facility
The word is real-time. Use case requires real-time monitoring and reporting of the asset or person’s locality, in very short intervals of time (seconds or minutes)
Reading distances further than 3 -5 metres on average
NEED HELP? Please feel free to give us your comments below or if you need additional help tell us your problems with EJS in the comment area. We will be releasing a series of EJS Videos in the coming weeks. So stay tune to this development by subscribing to this blog.
We are glad to announce a brand new microsite ( jewelry.innovez-one.com) for Enterprise Jewelry Software ( EJS 2.0 ). You can download EJS 2.0 for a free trial period of 30 days. There are several new features we incorporated into EJS 2.0 :
Support for Single User if you are a Jewelry Startup or Multi-users versions
“GOLD Formula Calculator” - allows you to create your own pricing formulas.
Further support for Barcode or RFID technology
More than 15 new business reports
“1-Click EJS Installer” - makes it easy to install and register your license all in one application
We have all heard about RFID tagging of animals and pets now chipping is happening to fishes.
RFID is certainly going places, recently in Singapore it has gone under water. The Singapore Underwater World recently announced the latest RFID enabled sea aquarium exhibit. Several species of fish - Arapaima, Alligator Gar, Flower Ray, Pacu, Redtail Catfish, Shovelnose Catfish and Walking Catfish are implanted with RFID. In the past, visitors would have to match fish by their shape and colour to static information wall panels to figure them out. After a couple of tanks, it gets too tedious to find which is which - I know because I was there too.
NOW, when a fish moves within the vicinity of the RFID reader, the information about the fish runs up on the touch-screen display. And of course the visitor can interact further with the device to learn more information about the fish - its really something!
My first post in 07. I had been absent and bogged down with a ton of projects. Finally getting a chance to catch up after quite a while I must say.
I saw the keynote address by Steve Jobs on iPhone on the Internet. The iPhone is truly revolutionary, multiple counts in breakthroughs. Except for a few unfathomable questions in my mind, it is still a must “BUY” - at least for me. Hopefully by then, some of the technology capabilities in my wish list will be built in when it is shipped to Asia in 08.
What I find most puzzling is - why did he not build 3G capabilities into it?! The other thing is, I can imagine with its cult status building into a frenzy, RFID may just go mainstream into widespread consumer usage if it had been considered for the device. I did not hear Jobs once mentioned the word “RFID”.
Imagine waving out iPhone to get on the transit. Firstly, that is one less card out of that bulky wallet crying out for space. And of course, you get to enjoy that egotistical experience of flashing the WOW-toy every once more often.
Varying RFID standards could be the issue. In places like Hong Kong, Singapore, China (Shen Zhen), India, Bangkok-Thailand Metro, RFID in transits are using Sony Felica hardware. This technology is different from other RFID hardware standards that follow ISO 15693. It is probably too risky to assume any one standard such as Felica to be the defacto in mass market adoption albeit it is by far the only large scale mass usage that affects nations of people. Check out the article by Andy Kowl - RFID - Are we there yet?
Well I am not qualified to answer any of this, however should mainstream consumer-RFID happens there is another reason to make iPhone2
ADDED ON JAN 18
I just saw a video on CNN.com titled “iPhone is so yesterday” which is exactly what I talked about on my last post. In the case of the Japanese, they use their cellphones to buy magazines, beverage fix from the vending machine, pay for transit charges and all that which makes iPhone almost Stone Age. Jobs, in his address commented that the “killer app is making calls”. Well that is like 10 years old, everybody knows that.
Today the key emerging technology enablers such as 3G, RFID, WIMAX are increasingly changing the way we live, play and work. Seriously though WIFI is what I would term as “grandpa” technology. It falls short in enabling capabilities to pinpoint objects/people within a context that would have otherwise roll our a brand new range of applications as did RFID.
As I know it, RFID started its journey into handsets as early as 2005 with NEC introducing “near-field” technology into its mobile phones. RFID technology in particular is making waves in the niche market of transportation from as far as Europe to major cities in Asia. The form factor ranges from credit card size EZ-Cards to mobile handsets. It is a proven success. The new waves of killer mobile applications are actually emerging.
Increasingly as the mobile smart device becomes a centre-piece in the mobile culture, it seems imperative that it includes emerging (key) technology enablers built in - 3G, RFID, WIMAX … It radically changes the way we connect with each other, access information, make mobile payments, mobile bank transactions, entertainment etc..
iPhone is a definite leader in device user interactions, and thats probably enough for some to head to the stores. But having a grandpa technology on iPhone doesn’t exactly sound all that exciting for me.
Yearly the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) recall its reserve force for what is known as the Individual Physical Proficiency Test or more famously known as IPPT. IPPT consists of five testing stations : (1) 50 metres sprint, (2) Standing Broad Jump, (3) Chin-up, (4) Sit-n-Reach, (5) 2.4 KM run. The last couple of years, we have seen initiatives to automate the testing procedures for each station using a combination of light sensors and RFID technology.
Particularly for the last station - a 2.4km run, each runner carries a RFID chip on their body. The RFID system will record the start time, number of laps, lap time, and end time for each individual run. The nice thing I like about it is when I complete a lap, it shows my own lap time/count on a huge display board nearby. It saves me the pain of looking at my watch everytime, counting my lap time mentally while busting my lungs for oxygen. At least for me, it is a huge improvement from the old manual system we used to have. I can stay focus on the run and keep the momentum going.
Similarly, same application is used for rollerblading. We’ll set up RFID gates at the start / end lines. Every racer carries a RFID chip, and when he zooms past the gates, the RFID system tracks his current lap count and lap time. On his last lap, when he races past the gates, the system captures his end time. Nice, and fuss free … pretty much everything is automated here.
In fact I just remembered I knew someone who worked for HS Sports in the UK, and they tagged race cars to automate lap counts, and time. I have not seen it for myself, but he did mention that they stick RFID tags at the base of a car, take an average of the several timing samplings for each lap as the car races past the line.
On this post, we will cover RFID basics to help a newcomer gain a flavour of the technology. This is by no means comprehensive, and only aims to serve starters rather than the main dish itself.
RFID Types
RFID is commonly grouped into its operating frequencies.
Low Frequencies or LF
RFID devices operate at 125 KHz - 148 KHz. The reading range at this frequency is typically 0.5 inches to 4 inches.
High Frequencies or HF
RFID devices operate at 13.56Mhz. The reading range of HF devices typically go from a few inches to several feet. With longer reading distances, HF enables other commonly installed applications such as RFID security gates, library management applications. Singapore National Library Board ( NLB ) uses HF technology for all its library branches.
Ultra High Frequencies or UHF
Commerical companies like Intermec and Alien Technology offer devices in this space. UHF devices operate in 915 MHz. UHF devices achieve the furthest reading range of the three. Typically from above 1 metre.
RFID Nemesis
There are several factors, arising from environmental or project requirement, that will degrade the smooth functioning of a RFID setup.
Metal Effects
HF Devices suffers serious interface from metallic objects. Metallic objects blocks the path of HF signals, with the effect of degrading or in some circumstances cancel the readability of the devices. LF devices on the other hand works fairly well in both metal and fluid based environments.
Fluid Effects
UHF devices cannot negotiate RF signals in the presence of fluids such as the human body. The human body composed mostly fluid cause serious signal interference for UHF devices. To do a simple experiment. Place an UHF tag completely hidden in your palm, and bring the UHF tag completed enclosed in your palm close to a reader-antenna. The result is, the tag remains undetected even at close range.
Standards
International Standards defines a framework for interoperability between manufacturers of tags, readers and antenna. This creates a platform that allows different vendors to create hardware and software products to work with each other by adhering to operating standards. Again, the list is by no means comprehensive but aims only give you a flavour of the existing commonly applied standards in the RFID world.
EPCGlobal is a non-profit group that is leading the overall industry to develop standards for the use Electronic Product Code ( EPC ) in RFID. They are instrumental in driving the RFID Gen(eration) 2 specification and getting a slew of vendors to roll out products based on the new specifications. The RFID Gen 2 is submitted to the ISO standards committee.
ISO 15693 defines the ISO standard for devices operating in the 13.56 MHz frequency.
ISO 11784 & ISO 11785 defines the standards that regulate RFID usage for animals. While ISO 11784 defines the data structure of the identification code, ISO 11785 specifies the protocol aspects for the transponderd, data transmission requirements between the transponder and the transceiver.
RFID Gen 2 defines a specification that combines RFID technology, the Internet and Electronic Product Codes to provide a highly efficient information delivery throughout supply chains.
RFID Middleware
RFID Middleware is a software platform that manages RFID data. The middleware software layer filters RFID data from RFID Readers, and routes the data to a multitude of enterprise systems within the business. A significant component common with providers of RFID middleware software is the RFID device management. This layer of software negotiates events triggered by new RFID data detected at the RFID reader device level. New RFID data is subsequently filtered and translated to business related events and sent to the respective systems for appropriate response.
RFID Integration
RFID integration stems from the need for organizations to incoporate RFID technology into existing hardware and software infrastructure. Almost all the time, phase-in approach to RFID adoption is preferred in order to control the costs and risks of the investment. There is a certain amount of complexity involved in RFID integration. For sizeable projects, this will include the integration of the RFID middleware software that provides a platform for scalability.
For example, existing software process will have a built-in procedure to issuing unique identification codes for current inventory. By what means, can additional software be structured to seamlessly incoporate RFID to existing systems? Bearing in mind the freshly integrated RFID component should not disrupt the existing operations flow.
Sokymat developed one of the first tamper proof jewellery tags in the world. The tag operates in 13.56Mhz. One of its most distinguishing feature is that the tag cannot be removed without leaving behind a physical electronic trace of tampering.
The tamper proof tag is priced approximately USD$1.20 per tag for a quantity of 40,000. In order to reuse the tag, the Sokymat delivers the used tamper proof tags to a factory at the cots of USD0.25 per piece.
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