Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a method of automatically identifying an object by equipping it with an RFID tag, or transponder. The tag is assigned a unique identifying code, called an electronic product code, and has an antenna through which it can communicate with an RFID reader via radio frequency signals. The other component of an RFID system is a database on a host computer, which stores records associated with the information on the RFID tag.
History
The history of RFID can be traced back to World War II, when Sir Alexander Watson-Watt led a British team that developed the so-called identification friend or foe (IFF) system. Each British aircraft was fitted with a transceiver, which responded to radar signals from the ground by transmitting an identification signal in the opposite direction; this is the basic principle behind RFID. Today, RFID technology has many applications in the private and public sectors.
RFID Tags
There are essentially two types of RFID tags: Active tags contain their own internal power source, and passive tags do not. Most RFID tags are passive. Passive tags are smaller and cheaper to produce than active tags. Passive tags are energized by incoming signals from an RFID reader, which produce just enough electrical current for the tag to relay such basic information as an electronic product code. Active RFID tags do offer certain advantages, however: They can be read from much farther away than passive tags, and are typically more accurate and reliable, especially in damp or metallic environments.
Current Applications
RFID technology has been used for many years to create keyless, non-contact access control systems for buildings and highways. More recently, it has been used extensively in supply-chain management and logistics. Low-frequency RFID tags are increasingly being implanted in domestic and wild animals, and even into humans to allow fast, convenient access to veterinary and medical information. Research into ink with RFID properties is also ongoing.
Privacy
RFID systems that collect or process personal identifiable information, such as those involved with government identity cards and passports, pose significant privacy risks that are common to all information technology systems. These include risks affecting their availability, confidentiality and integrity, such as denial of service attacks, cloning, and interception or eavesdropping. These risks increase the cost of RFID systems and hinder the adoption of the technology, so they need to be considered early on in any RFID project.
Tags: RFID tags, with RFID, been used, electronic product, electronic product code, product code
