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Posted On: 11/15/2004

RFID Researcher Addresses State of the Technology

Daniel Engels, Research Director of MIT’s Auto-ID Labs, recently gave his take on where RFID is right now as a technology. Engels reminded the audience at Pack Expo 2004 in Chicago that RFID is a “copper bullet,” not a complete track and trace arsenal for any firm.

Engels outlined four keys issues that are limiting RFID’s further proliferation and deployment:

• The technology’s use is still very immature, he said. Companies and their IT professionals are just learning the nuances of RFID and how it might be best applied.
  
• RFID products, from tags to readers, are not generalized. Vendors thus far have tended to develop products to suit the needs of specific clients, slowing standardization efforts and the interoperability of equipment.
  
• RFID performance is being pushed to its limits, Engels added. Clients want RFID to do more than it can handle at the moment.
  
• Business processes need to change to accommodate RFID. “You can’t just replace barcodes with RFID and expect it to work,” Engels said.

To confront these and other issues, Auto-ID Labs is involved in several key research initiatives, Engels said. Among them:

• Auto ID is putting the finishing touches on an RFID simulator, which will make it possible for users to practice their data management skills and RFID intuition in an imaginary supply chain.
  
• It is studying the impact of packaging on RFID’s effectiveness. How can the “total path loss” of readers’ electromagnetic energy be minimized by, for instance, using less-absorptive packaging materials, optimizing the dimensions of cases and products, and optimizing their positioning on pallets.
  
• It is set to release Version 1.0 of Auto ID’s first implementation guide for user firms in January.