RFID is a varied collection of technical approaches for many applications across a wide range of industries. As with its much simpler, bar coding, this technology used primarily for automatic data capture has the potential to significantly alter how processes occur and how companies operate. Any application of RFID needs to result in obvious business benefits. The last few years have seen several developments that have sped up the adoption of this technology.
1) The emergence of major consumer applications that bring RFID from an experimental technology into the mainstream. As it gains understanding and credibility through highly visible consumer applications that prove its effectiveness, its place as a solution in supply chain automation also grows.
2) The development of “smart labels”—a lower cost, easily integratable version of RFID tags that is beginning to take off on paths where bar codes can not travel.
HOW RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION (RFID) WORKS
There are a many uses of this technology around us today, although they are often invisible to users. You may find that you are already carrying and using a RFID tag, or even several. RFID is a wireless link to uniquely identify objects or people. It is sometimes called dedicated short range communication (DSRC). RFID systems include electronic devices called transponders or tags, and reader electronics to communicate with the tags. These systems communicate via radio signals that carry data either uni-directionally or bidirectionally.
