Blue Spark Technologies Unveils Innovations in BAP RFID

Battery-Powered Passive (BAP) RFID is set to power emerging applications in manufacturing, supply chain, health care, asset management, security and retail, according to Blue Spark Technologies.

“Innovation to drive improved performance typically follows after technologies mature and become increasingly commoditized,” according to Gary Johnson, Blue Spark president and CEO. “That’s what’s happening now with RFID. For many high-value applications, battery assisted passive effectively bridges the price/performance gap that exists between pure passive UHF and active RFID, and does so with far less complexity and expense.”

BAP RFID tags offer many of the same advantages of active tags, but at a significantly lower cost. Most new BAP tags coming onto the market are fully compatible with the existing Gen2 RFID architecture, which lowers the cost of integration vs that of existing active systems. With a relatively simple architecture, BAP RFID tags can be manufactured in high volumes using conventional printing processes – their small form factor makes integration relatively easy compared to active RFID.

BAP tag characteristics make them a cost-effective and practical choice for many applications in which users can realize time, cost and visibility benefits including:

· Manufacturing and Supply Chain: Inventory management and asset tracking of parts, materials, work-in-process or finished goods in factories, warehouses and distribution centers can increase accuracy and visibility, while reducing labor time and cost and minimizing waste.

· Asset Management: Tracking and tracing of assets – such as reusable pallets and containers, tools and equipment, computers and other IT hardware, or essential files and documents – can save time and costs, improve asset control, and minimize loss and theft.

· Healthcare, Security and Public Safety: ID badges or wristbands can be used to track the whereabouts of people in secure buildings, health care and medical facilities, at large public events and disaster management/evacuation sites.

· Retail: “Smart case” and “smart shelf” systems can help reduce shrinkage due to misplaced merchandise or theft, and can also help retailers improve inventory accuracy to minimize overstocks and out-of-stocks.

Johnson’s view is echoed by industry analysts. NanoMarkets projects that RFID applications will be the dominant thrust in the thin-film and printed battery market, generating US$4.6 billion by 2015. This is primarily because of the batteries’ relatively low cost, high-volume availability, and ability to improve RFID performance.

Blue Spark, www.bluesparktechnologies.com