Friday, April 18, 2008

Lost your luggage? RFID tags could help

C/Net News jumps into the debate around using RFID tags and the luggage-at-airports situation/issue. They say that last year 34 million bags got lost globally at airports:

This cost the aviation industry $3.6 billion. One way to reduce the amount of mishandled luggage could be to switch from today's widespread bar-code tagging system to more sensitive radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. The IATA estimates that $200 million could be saved each year by such a swap at the world's top 80 airports.

That is exactly what RFID manufacturers like Alien Technology are dreaming about. With updated chip technology announced Monday, the Morgan Hill, Calif.-based company is targeting the aviation and pharmaceutical industries. But it will take a while before we see the tags in chewing gum packages and soda cans.

Alien says its new H3 integrated circuit (a more advanced version of the H2) boasts heightened reader sensitivity and improved security features, making it possible for third parties to read the tag's data, but not to change it.

Is the RFID 'revolution' just a matter of time now??

Read in full - 'Lost your luggage? RFID tags could help'
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