Traditionally, the use of active RFID in military applications has involved longer range than passive tags but still a portal-based, speak-when-spoken-to approach in most cases. However, the ideal supply chain, and, for that matter, the ideal management of standing assets, should involve tags that can initiate alarms and prompts depending on what they sense. Indeed, the ideal also includes knowing what is where regardless of whether it is near a reader. One recent approach tested a new generation of active RFID tags with satellite-communication capabilities that enabled the tags to give their precise location even when in the most remote and inhospitable areas.

"The prototype tags function just as the current RFID tags that can be pinged at ports, depots and distribution centers by interrogators, but they can also phone home," says Larry Loiacono, an information technology specialist at the Defense Distribution Center DDC, headquartered in New Cumberland, Philadelphia. Part of the Defense Logistics Agency, the DDC oversees 26 military distribution depots worldwide.

Little known names in RFID designed these products and systems. The prototype tag was developed by Ocean Systems Engineering and NAL Research the components of the device. Another little known name, Free2Move of Sweden and Malaysia has developed a Real Time locating System with humidity and temperature sensing, providing a wealth of information and alerts that the tag can initiate immediately it is necessary.

These are typical examples of how active RFID technology is evolving much faster than passive RFID technology and creating many exciting new applications and profit opportunities for companies of all sizes. The doubters of parasitic WiFi RTLS pointed to the battery life of days or weeks and the expense of the chips. G2 Microsystems came along in the last year to solve both problems. However, although there have been many sales successes with this approach in the last year, we sometimes hear of sometimes only 70% availability when these are in action and accuracy sometimes of only ten meters or so.

Then there’s the worry about overloading WiFi networks used for mission critical purposes such as physicians downloading patient data. Are these fears justified? Will they be solved with new technology? Then there are Smart Active Labels, another form of active RFID, in this case with worries about cost and about battery life of as little as 6 months in some cases. Justified? Soluble? The rapid pace of change in this sector means that the landscape will look very different in only one year from now and many of the companies with remarkable new approaches and applications will be new to the field.

The Active RFID Summit in Atlanta on 14-15 November will focus on all these points and more. The US Navy, General Electric, British Petroleum, IBM, Boeing, Aventura Hospital, Georgia Ports Authority, Lockheed Martin, NYK Logistics and other giants will speak plus a carefully selected group of small companies with hot new technologies. That includes WiFi Real Time Locating Systems (RTLS), Ultra Wide Band RTLS in 100 new applications, and the new low frequency RTLS and hybrid systems. Only RTLS can give us the ultimate supply chain and asset management. RFID with printed sensors is covered. Georgia Institute of Technology and Michigan State University look into the future and IDTechEx summarizes the latest global situation and provides the highly acclaimed “Active RFID 2006-2016” free to all conference attendees. Don’t miss this unique event on one of the most lucrative, useful and fast growing areas of RFID.