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Payment by mobile phones
Since summer 2009, two credit card companies have been working with
Dallas, Texas-based DeviceFidelity to develop specialized microSD cards.
When inserted into a mobile phone, the microSD card can be both a
passive tag and an RFID reader.[19] After
inserting the microSD, a user's phone can be linked to bank accounts
and used in mobile payment.
Dairy
Queen in conjunction with Vivotech has
also begun using RFIDs on mobile phones as part of their new loyalty
and rewards program.[20] Patrons
can ask to receive an RFID tag to place on their phone. After
activation, the phone can receive promotions and coupons, which can be
read by ViVOtech's specialized NFC devices.
Similarly, 7-Eleven has been working
alongside MasterCard to promote a new
touch-free payment system. Those joining the trial are given a
complimentary Nokia 3220 cell phone – after activation, it can be used
as an RFID-capable MasterCard credit card at any of 7-Eleven's
worldwide chains.[21]
Nokia's
2008 device, the 6212, has RFID capabilities also. Credit card
information can be stored, and bank accounts can be directly accessed
using the enabled handset. The phone, if used as a vector for mobile
payment, has added security in that users would be required to enter a
passcode or PIN before payment is authorized.[22]
Asset management
RFID combined with mobile computing and Web
technologies provide a way for organizations to identify and manage
their assets. Mobile computers, with integrated RFID readers, can now
deliver a complete set of tools that eliminate paperwork, give proof
of identification and attendance. This approach eliminates manual data
entry.
Web based management tools allow organizations to monitor their assets
and make management decisions from anywhere in the world. Web based
applications now mean that third parties, such as manufacturers and
contractors can be granted access to update asset data, including for
example, inspection history and transfer documentation online ensuring
that the end user always has accurate, real-time data. Organizations
are already using RFID tags combined with a mobile asset management
solution to record and monitor the location of their assets, their
current status, and whether they have been maintained.
RFID is being adopted for item-level retail uses.
Aside from efficiency and product availability gains, the system
offers a superior form of electronic article
surveillance (EAS), and a superior self checkout process for
consumers. The first commercial, public item-level RFID retail system
installation is believed to be in May 2005 by Freedom Shopping, Inc. in
North Carolina, USA.
2009 witnessed the beginning of wide-scale asset tracking with passive
RFID. Wells Fargo and Bank of America made announcements that they
would track every item in their data centers using passive RFID. Most
of the leading banks have since followed suit. The Financial Services Technology
Consortium (FSTC) set a technical standard for tagging IT assets[23] and
other industries have used that standard as a guideline. For instance
the US State Department is now tagging IT assets with passive RFID
using the ISO/IEC 18000-6 standard.[24]
Inventory systems
An advanced automatic identification technology based on RFID
technology has significant value for inventory systems. The system can
provide accurate knowledge of the current inventory. In an academic
study[25] performed
at Wal-Mart, RFID reduced Out-of-Stocks by 30 percent for products
selling between 0.1 and 15 units a day. Other benefits of using RFID
include the reduction of labor costs, the simplification of business
processes, and the reduction of inventory inaccuracies.
In 2004, Boeing integrated the use of RFID technology to help reduce
maintenance and inventory costs on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. With
the high costs of aircraft parts, RFID technology allowed Boeing to
keep track of inventory despite the unique sizes, shapes and
environmental concerns. During the first six months after integration,
the company was able to save $29,000 in labor.[26]
In 2007, Recall Corporation integrated
the use of RFID to help organizations track and audit their records,
to support compliance with regulations such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Actand HIPAA.[27]
Product tracking
RFID use in product tracking applications begins with plant-based
production processes, and then extends into post-sales configuration management policies
for large buyers.
In 2005, the Wynn Casino, Las Vegas, began placing
individual RFID tags on high value chips. These tags allowed casinos
the ability to detect counterfeit chips, track betting habits of
individual players, speed up chip tallies, and determine counting
mistakes of dealers. In 2010, the Bellagio casino was
robbed of $1.5 million in chips. The RFID tags of these chips were
immediately invalidated, thus making the cash value of these chips $0.[28]
RFID can also be used for supply chain management in the fashion
industry. The RFID label is attached at the garment at production, can
be read/traced througout the entire supply chain and is removed at the
point of sale (POS).
Access control
High-frequency tags are widely used in identification badges,
replacing earlier magnetic stripe cards. These
badges need only be held within a certain distance of the reader to
authenticate the holder. The American Express Blue credit
card now includes a HighFID tag. In
Feb 2008, Emirates Airline started a
trial of RFID baggage tracing at London and Dubai airports.[29]
Promotion tracking
To prevent retailers diverting products, manufacturers are exploring
the use of RFID tags on promoted merchandise so that they can track
exactly which product has sold through the supply chain at fully
discounted prices.[30]
Transportation and logistics
Logistics and transportation are major areas of implementation for
RFID technology. Yard management, shipping and freight and
distribution centers use RFID tracking technology. In the railroad indusry, RFID tags
mounted on locomotives and rolling stock identify the owner,
identification number and type of equipment and its characteristics.
This can be used with a database to identify the lading,
origin, destination, etc. of the commodities being carried.[31]
In commercial aviation, RFID technology is being incorporated to
support maintenance on commercial aircraft. RFID tags are used to
identify baggage and cargo at several airports and airlines.[32][33]
Some countries are using RFID technology for vehicle registration and
enforcement.[34][35] RFID
can help detect and retrieve stolen cars.[36][37]
Infrastructure management and protection
At least one company has intoduced RFID technology to identify and
locate underground infrastructure assets such as gas pipelines, sewer
lines, electrical cables, communication cables, etc.[38]
Passports
See also:Biometric passport
The first RFID passports ("E-passport") were issued
by Malaysia in 1998. In addition to
information also contained on the visual data page of the passport,
Malaysian e-passports record the travel history (time, date, and
place) of entries and exits from the country.
Other countries that insert RFID in passports include Norway (2005),[39] Japan
(March 1, 2006), most EU countries (around 2006) including Spain,
Ireland and the UK, Australia, Hong Kong and the United States
(2007), Serbia (July 2008), Republic of Korea (August 2008), Taiwan
(December 2008), Albania (January 2009), The Philippines (August
2009), Republic of Macedonia (2010).
Standards for RFID passports are determined by the International
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),
and are contained in ICAO Document 9303, Part 1, Volumes 1 and 2 (6th
edition, 2006). ICAO refers to the ISO/IEC 14443 RFID chips in
e-passports as "contactless integrated circuits". ICAO
standards provide for e-passports to be identifiable by a standard
e-passport logo on the front cover.
Since 2006, RFID tags included in new US
passports will store the same information that is printed within
the passport and also include a digital picture of the owner.[40] The US State
Department initially stated the chips could only be read from a
distance of 10cm (4in), but after widespread criticism and
a clear demonstration that special equipment can read the test
passports from 10 meters (33ft) away[citation needed],
the passports were designed to incorporate a thin metal lining to make
it more difficult for unauthorized readers to "skim"
information when the passport is closed. The department will also
implement Basic Access Control (BAC),
which functions as a Personal Identification Number (PIN) in the form
of characters printed on the passport data page. Before a passport's
tag can be read, this PIN must be entered into an RFID reader. The BAC
also enables the encryption of any communication between the chip and
interrogator.[41]
Transportation payments
In many countries, RFID tags can be used to pay for mass transit fares
on bus, trains, or subways, or to collect tolls on highways.
Some bike lockers are operated with
RFID cards assigned to individual users. A prepaid card is required to
open or enter a facility or locker and is used to track and charge
based on how long the bike is parked.
The Zipcar car-sharing
service uses RFID cards for locking and unlocking cars and for member
identification.[42]
In Singapore, RFID replaces paper Season Parking Ticket (SPT).[43]
Identification
Main articles:Microchip
implant (animal)andMicrochip
implant (human)
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Asheepwith an ear tag |
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Animal management using RFID
technology. Santa Gertrudis cattle:
The calf has an electronic ear
tag andherd management tag(yellow).
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RFID tags for animals represent one of the oldest uses of RFID
technology. Originally meant for large ranches and rough terrain,
since the outbreak of mad-cow disease, RFID has become
crucial in animal identificationmanagement.
An implantable RFID tag or transponder can
also be used for animal identification. The transponders are more
well-known as passive RFID technology, or "chips" on animals.[44] The Canadian Cattle
Identification Agency began using RFID tags as a replacement for
barcode tags. Currently CCIA tags are used in Wisconsin and
by US farmers on a voluntary basis. The USDA is
currently developing its own program.
Implantable RFID chips designed for animal tagging are now being used
in humans. An early experiment with RFID implants was conducted by
British professor of cybernetics Kevin Warwick, who implanted a chip
in his arm in 1998. In 2004 Conrad
Chase offered implanted chips in his night clubs in Barcelona[45] and Rotterdam to
identify their VIP customers, who in turn use it to pay for drinks.
Privacy advocates have protested against implantable RFID chips,
warning of potential abuse.
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Hospitals and healthcare
Adoption of RFID in the medical industry has been widespread and very
effective. Hospitals are among the first users to combine both active
and passive RFID technology. Many successful deployments in the
healthcare industry have been cited where active technology tracks
high-value, or frequently moved items, where passive technology tracks
smaller, lower cost items that only need room-level identification.
The trend is toward using ISO 18000-6c as the tag of choice and
combining an active tagging system that relies on existing 802.11X
wireless infrastructure for active tags.
Since 2004 a number of U.S. hospitals have begun implanting patients
with RFID tags and using RFID systems, usually for workflow and
inventory management.[46] The
use of RFID to prevent mixups between sperm and ova in IVF clinics
is also being considered.[47]
In October 2004, the FDA approved USA's first RFID chips that can be
implanted in humans. The 134kHz RFID chips, from VeriChip Corp.
can incorporate personal medical information and could save lives and
limit injuries from errors in medical treatments, according to the
company. Anti-RFID activists Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre discovered
an FDA Warning Letter that
spelled out health risks.[48] According
to the FDA, these include "adverse tissue reaction",
"migration of the implanted transponder", "failure of
implanted transponder", "electrical hazards" and
"magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] incompatibility."
Libraries
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RFID tags used in libraries: square book
tag, round CD/DVD tag and rectangular VHS tag |
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Libraries have used RFID to replace the barcodes on library items. The
tag can contain identifying information or may just be a key into a
database. An RFID system may replace or supplement bar codes and may
offer another method of inventory management and self-service checkout
by patrons. It can also act as a security device,
taking the place of the more traditional electromagnetic
security strip.[49]
It is estimated that over 30 million library items worldwide now
contain RFID tags, including some in the Vatican Library in Rome.[50]
Since RFID tags can be read through an item, there is no need to open
a book cover or DVD case to scan an item, and a stack of books can be
read simultaneously. Book tags can be read while books are in motion
on a conveyor belt, which reduces staff
time. This can all be done by the borrowers themselves, reducing the
need for library staff assistance. With portable readers, inventories
could be done on a whole shelf of materials within seconds.[51] However,
as of 2008 this technology remains too costly for many smaller
libraries, and the conversion period has been estimated at 11 months
for an average-size library. A 2004 Dutch estimate was that a library
which lends 100,000 books per year should plan on a cost of €50,000
(borrow- and return-stations: 12,500 each, detection porches 10,000
each; tags 0.36 each). RFID taking a large burden off staff could also
mean that fewer staff will be needed, resulting in some of them
getting fired,[50]but
that has so far not happened in North America where recent surveys
have not returned a single library that cut staff because of adding
RFID. In fact, library budgets are being reduced for personnel and
increased for infrastructure, making it necessary for libraries to add
automation to compensate for the reduced staff size. Also, the tasks
that RFID takes over are largely not the primary tasks of librarians.
A finding in the Netherlands is that borrowers are pleased with the
fact that staff are now more available for answering questions.
A concern surrounding RFID in issue of privacy. Because some RFID tags
can be read from up to 100 metres (330ft), there is some concern
over whether sensitive information could be collected from an
unwilling source. However, library RFID tags do not contain any patron
information,[52] and
the tags used in the majority of libraries use a frequency only
readable from approximately 10 feet (3.0m).[49] Further,
another non-library agency could potentially record the RFID tags of
every person leaving the library without the library administrator's
knowledge or consent. One simple option is to let the book transmit a
code that has meaning only in conjunction with the library's database.
Another step further is to give the book a new code every time it is
returned. And if in the future readers become ubiquitous (and possibly
networked), then stolen books could be traced even outside the
library. Tag removal could be made difficult if the tags are so small
that they fit invisibly inside a (random) page, possibly put there by
the publisher.
Museums
RFID technologies are now also implemented in end-user applications in
museums. An example was the custom-designed temporary research
application, "eXspot," at the Exploratorium, a science museum
in San Francisco,
California. A visitor entering the museum received an RF Tag that
could be carried as a card. The eXspot system enabled the visitor to
receive information about specific exhibits. Aside from the exhibit
information, the visitor could take photographs of themselves at the
exhibit. It was also intended to allow the visitor to take data for
later analysis. The collected information could be retrieved at home
from a "personalized" website keyed to the RFID tag.[53]
Schools and universities
School authorities in the Japanese city of Osaka are
now chipping children's clothing, back packs, and student IDs in a
primary school.[54] A
school in Doncaster, England is
piloting a monitoring system designed to keep tabs on pupils by
tracking radio chips in their uniforms.[55] St
Charles Sixth Form College in westLondon, England, started
September, 2008, is using an RFID card system to check in and out of
the main gate, to both track attendance and prevent unauthorized
entrance. Similarly, Whitcliffe Mount School in Cleckheaton,
England uses RFID to track pupils and staff in and out of the building
via a specially designed card. In the Philippines, some schools
already use RFID in IDs for borrowing books and also gates in those
particular schools have RFID ID scanners for buying items at a school
shop and canteen, library and also to sign in and sign out for student
and teacher's attendance.
Sports
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J-Chip 8-channel receiver next to
timing mat. The athlete wears a chip on a strap around his
ankle. Ironman
Germany 2007 in Frankfurt
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ChampionChip
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RFID for timing races began in the early 1990s with pigeon racing,
introduced by the company Deister Electronics in
Germany. RFID can provide race start and end timings for individuals
in large races where it is impossible to get accurate stopwatch
readings for every entrant.
In the race, the racers wear tags that are read by antennae placed
alongside the track or on mats across the track. UHF tags provide
accurate readings with specially designed antennas. Rush error, lap
count errors and accidents at start time are avoided since anyone can
start and finish any time without being in a batch mode.
Passive and active RFID systems are used in off-road events such
as Orienteering, Enduro and Hare and Hounds racing.
Riders have a transponder on their person, normally on their arm. When
they complete a lap they swipe or touch the receiver which is
connected to a computer and log their lap time.
RFID is being adapted by many recruitment agencies which have a PET
(Physical Endurance Test) as their qualifying procedure especially in
cases where the candidate volumes may run into millions (Indian
Railway Recruitment Cells, Police and Power sector).
A number of ski resorts have adopted RFID tags
to provide skiers hands-free access to ski
lifts. Skiers do not have to take their passes out of their pockets.
Early on skiers were forced to use systems that required nearly
contact - bending over to touch the turnstyles. These systems were
based on high frequency (HF) at 13.56 megahertz. While effective at
tracking the skiers they were difficult to use and expensive to
deploy. However the bulk of ski areas in Europe, from Verbier to
Chamonix use these systems.[56][57][58]
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*All RFID
technology & implementation information are quoted from website of http://en.wikipedia.org
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