Third Position Paper
By Kamakshi Samala
Even though the RFID technology is similar in theory of bar code identification, the key difference is RFID eliminates the need for line-of-sight reading that bar coding depends on. Also, RFID scanning can be done from a greater distances than bar code scanning. High frequency RFID systems (850 MHz to 950 MHz and 2.4 GHz to 2.5 GHz) offer transmission ranges of more than 90 feet, although wavelengths in the 2.4 GHz range are absorbed by water (the human body) and therefore has limitations.
RFID cards are also known as "proximity", "proxy" or "contactless cards" and come in three varieties: passive, semi-passive (also known as semi-active), or active.
Passive RFID tags – These tags have no internal power supply. A minute electrical current is induced in the antenna by the incoming radio frequency signal. This provides enough power for the CMOS integrated circuit in the tag to power up. This helps to transmit a response. Most passive tags have antenna designed to both collect power from the incoming signal and also to transmit the outbound backscatter signal. The response of a passive RFID tag is not just an ID number; the tag chip can contain non-volatile EEPROM for storing data. Since this lacks an onboard power supply, which means that the device can be quite small.
Active RFID tags - Unlike passive RFID tags, these tags have their own internal power source which is used to power any integrated circuits that generate the outgoing signal. As these tags have ability to conduct session with a reader, they are much more reliable than the passive tags. They also transmit higher power levels than passive tags as they have onboard power supply. This feature makes them more effective in "RF challenged" environments like water (including humans/cattle, which are mostly water), metal (shipping containers, vehicles), or at longer distances. Many active tags have practical ranges of hundreds of meters, and a battery life of up to 10 years. The smallest active tags are about the size of a cold capsule and cost a few dollars.
Uses of RFID
There are many uses of RFID. Some are as follows;
1. Used in passports as e-passports which not only records the travel information but a thin metal lining incorporated in the passport makes it difficult for unauthorized readers to "skim" information when the passport is closed.
2. Used in Transport payments. E.g. T-money cards (
3. Used in product tracking. For e.g., Farmers use it to identify a bovine's herd of origin; used in library book or bookstore tracking, pallet tracking, building access control, airline baggage tracking, apparel and pharmaceutical item tracking; used to track supply chain from warehouse to consumer; also used to track shipping container, and truck and trailer tracking in shipping yards.
4. RFID is also used for animal identification; human implants, for example Night Clubs in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, use an implantable chip to identify their VIP customers, who in turn use it to pay for drinks.
5. Used in Automotives. Microwave RFID tags are used in long range access control for vehicles. It’s used as a Smart Key/Smart Start option in vehicles. The key uses an active RFID circuit allowing the car to detect the key approximately 3 feet from the sensor. The driver can open the doors and start the car with the key in his pocket. Ford, Honda, and several other manufacturers use RFID-equipped ignition keys as anti-theft measures.
Pros of RFID
RFID provides valuable service by which companies can track products in a more efficient manner. Military, retailers, suppliers, consulting firms, producers of the technology, and consumers, are benefited by it in many ways. It provides companies a better alternative to bar-code using as it contains information on the product that is easily readable and accessible for the reader. This in turn would also help to revolutionize the entire supply chain of the companies by improving its efficiencies and overall business intelligence and thereby reducing costs and human errors.
The
Companies and retailers that have high demand for supply chain can gain advantage by using this system in their supply chain management. This would help to improve their productivity, save on human labor costs, and would give companies real-time visibility with their products. Wal-Mart was the first retailer to use RFID in their distribution centers and warehouses. Once Wal-Mart was successful, many companies started using this system.
Retailers and other companies that have a demanding supply chain can gain advantage by using RFID in the supply chain. By demanding that all levels of their supply chain be RFID, it’s capable to be a sizable investment. The productivity increase that follows the initial investment and implementation for companies will pay for their investment.
RFID makes the business world seem like a smaller place when the companies that combined their supply chain technologies with the RFID, started seeing great results. This will help to achieve the goal of companies supply chain by reducing the time needed to be productive, and by automating as much of the supply chain as possible. It also reduces human error, and machines are capable of running twenty-four hours a day and cost less than human labor. The application of RFID on a large company like Wal-Mart or Target, as well as smaller retail stores can ensure a better shopping experience with more in-stock items and a more knowledgeable store.
The market of RFID is booming. Many technological companies have gotten in this game of producing RFID parts and systems thereby allowing many companies to become consulting firms for the RFID technology. The RFID market was roughly one billion dollars in 2006 and is estimated to grow anywhere from $1.3 billion by IDC, to $4.2 Billion by the Yankee Group in 2008. Roughly 20-25% of the market is made up of consulting work for the technology and the last 5% is made up of software for RFID. The biggest challenge for producers and consultants of RFID is the reliability and durability of RFID systems and products. It is hard to predict the wear and tear a product will experience over a period time. But researchers say that it not only help the companies to control human errors but will also help the companies to prove their ROI (Return on Investment), can help save one time operating costs and will help to provide better customer service by having real time information on the products. It would also help to reduce theft in the store and warehouses.
Ultimately the consumers should be the winner with RFID being implemented throughout a company’s supply chain. Stores will save money in the long run by bringing down the costs of the products. This way the consumers can expect more informative customer service with the companies using RFID, by the way of the company sharing their real time data with the customers. Having RFID tags on certain products can also make people’s lives much easier. For example, a microwave reads and recognizes the tag of the food we put in and will automatically cook it according to the directions on the tag. It also helps environmentally because companies will use resources more efficiently, benefiting everyone. Once RFID tags are able to be used on food products it will make a recall on a certain item much easier and it could potentially save lives. Also consumers use RFID everyday and many do not realize the benefits they are receiving from the technology. For example, the “Speedpass” allows contactless form of payment thereby allowing customers to wave the card in front of a reader to pay for gas or anything in the convenient store. Visa and MasterCard allows people to have money on a card (either debit or credit) which decreases waiting time at check-out places and increases loyalty for the companies that offer this feature. Another use of smart cards is keyless entries, and many more. Therefore, RFID is a beneficial technology for consumers which help to save time and offer those conveniences that traditional bar coding, credit cards and keys cannot offer.
Cons of RFID
RFID has been around for more than fifty years but there has been a rapid development in technology since last five to six years. Even though it has many potential advantages but there are many disadvantages as well.
Large companies using RFID tags also face some potential problems. RFID has no proven infrastructure which makes difficult for suppliers to keep up with the company’s demands to become RFID-ready. Therefore, suppliers cannot implement RFID into the business and retailers cannot get information about their supply chain. This way the retailers trying to solve their supply chain management problems by using RFID, cannot benefit from it.
Privacy issue is the main disadvantage of RFID. The retailers cannot have any specific information of the consumer if the tags are affixed to pallets and cartons of the product. But by having RFID tags on individual products, retailers can trace consumer’s buying habits; keep articles from theft and keep their inventory at an acceptable level. But this process leads to disclosure of other consumer information which the consumer would prefer to keep private.
RFID could also be bad for our health. Supporters of RFID predict a world where RFID reader devices are everywhere - in stores, in floors, in doorways, on airplanes, even in the refrigerators and medicine cabinets of our own homes. In such a world, our lives would be continually exposed to electromagnetic energy. Research is taking place in this area but researchers still do not know the long-term health effects of chronic exposure to the energy emitted by these reader devices.
The main disadvantages of RFID are the privacy concerns, technological imperfections, cost of the technology and no proven methods to set up an RFID system for a company. The government and corporations are the two main groups that are most concerned for privacy issues. Hidden tags and readers threaten to take away human mystery thereby offering a world where people see, feel and hear only what the government and large corporation want people to do.
Hence, in my opinion, RFID is at the very outset of its evolution and diffusion. The technology will surely witness many exciting and interesting developments over the next few years. But the future of RFID is still uncertain. The privacy issues will still persist even though the cost of RFID system decreases. If privacy issues are not watched closely, people will become tagged and there will always be someone watching and analyzing every person’s decisions. Therefore, in order to be successful in their business, the companies must work with privacy advocate groups in order to develop a fair way of using RFID system without making their customers hostile.
No comments:
Post a Comment