Radio 'Freak'uency ID: The next big thing after Internet
Imagine being away from home, clicking on the mouse to know the exact contents of your fridge, even the expiry date on that ice-cream tub in the freezer.
Or being able to track down that stolen wristwatch within minutes and having the key to every possible information about any product that you have bought. This is what Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are all about. This technology, already a rage in USA and Singapore, is catching up in India too.
RFID tags are similar to bar code stickers and can be used to track objects to which they are attached. The tag, for example, fixed on an ice-cream pack by the manufacturer, responds to radio signals within a particular frequency range, transmitted by an antenna. A software then converts the RFID signal into readable information on your laptop. While the tag itself is minuscule, the antenna too can be as small as 6 X 3 inches.
Sun Microsystems has developed Sun EPC, the software to read data and now plans to provide complete end-to-end RFID solutions for customers. If a company wants to use RFID on its products, Sun, in partnership with other service providers, will cater to all aspects of it -- from the tags to application software.
‘‘Right now, we are only working on prototypes in India, but it is only a matter of time before it becomes a reality. We have already been approached by companies like Satyam and Wipro to join hands for a complete solution,’’ Sun Microsystems spokesperson Divyesh Shah told this website’s newspaper. Engineers in Bangalore are working on application-specific reader software.
This cutting-edge technology has a wide range of applications. It could be used by retail chains for taking inventory of large stocks without manual effort and to detect theft. It can also be used by financial and government agencies to keep tabs on the large amount of paperwork required.
In Singapore, these tags have been fastened on to cars, which allow them to pass tollgates without stopping to pay. A reader installed a few metres before a tollbooth identifies the pre-paid user and the gate swings open automatically.
Back home, you can even use it to find that remote control that you left atop the idiot box.
Or being able to track down that stolen wristwatch within minutes and having the key to every possible information about any product that you have bought. This is what Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are all about. This technology, already a rage in USA and Singapore, is catching up in India too.
RFID tags are similar to bar code stickers and can be used to track objects to which they are attached. The tag, for example, fixed on an ice-cream pack by the manufacturer, responds to radio signals within a particular frequency range, transmitted by an antenna. A software then converts the RFID signal into readable information on your laptop. While the tag itself is minuscule, the antenna too can be as small as 6 X 3 inches.
Sun Microsystems has developed Sun EPC, the software to read data and now plans to provide complete end-to-end RFID solutions for customers. If a company wants to use RFID on its products, Sun, in partnership with other service providers, will cater to all aspects of it -- from the tags to application software.
‘‘Right now, we are only working on prototypes in India, but it is only a matter of time before it becomes a reality. We have already been approached by companies like Satyam and Wipro to join hands for a complete solution,’’ Sun Microsystems spokesperson Divyesh Shah told this website’s newspaper. Engineers in Bangalore are working on application-specific reader software.
This cutting-edge technology has a wide range of applications. It could be used by retail chains for taking inventory of large stocks without manual effort and to detect theft. It can also be used by financial and government agencies to keep tabs on the large amount of paperwork required.
In Singapore, these tags have been fastened on to cars, which allow them to pass tollgates without stopping to pay. A reader installed a few metres before a tollbooth identifies the pre-paid user and the gate swings open automatically.
Back home, you can even use it to find that remote control that you left atop the idiot box.
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posted by sikandar at 4:23 PM
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