Industry News
Smart Bar Codes
By
Nov 2, 2005, 07:50

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is an emerging feature in warehouse management for managing inventory, sending data to the host for real-time reporting, and tracking where an item is located in the warehouse. They “talk” to a networked system using labels or tags with intelligent bar codes.

Existing bar codes (or UPC codes that you see on store merchandise) is read-only technology, which means that it cannot communicate or send out any information. It is meant to be scanned for pricing and inventory control. The new RFID tag has a microprocessor chip that transmits data back to the host computer, often using the Internet as a communications line. The technology is still evolving to make the tags or labels small enough for everyday use, with a greater range so that it can be portable outside of its initial environment.

Already there are uses for this new RFID concept that include tagging military equipment, tracing food shipments to third world countries, tracking animals in the wild, and alerting for shoplifted merchandise in a store. With more intelligence, food and drugs could be easily recalled from a specific batch, or it can tie into your computer or PDA to notify you when the expiration date is near. It is even conceivable that it can reorder a prescription when you are low in supply, or add a food item to your grocery list, place an order, and have it delivered so it is there when you come home from work!

Going full circle, a manufacturer can track a product from the time that it is made to when it is stored, shipped, bought, used, discarded and/or recycled. And as such can have a running history on your buying habits, where and how often you shop, and how long it takes you to use up that product. This gives the manufacturer forecasting information, which can also signal when you are most receptive to advertising based on these habits.

This is not science fiction, but available technology that is in use today. The only potential roadblock to widespread use is public reaction to the accumulation of all kinds of data that could ultimately be construed as an invasion of privacy, or data that could be compromised by falling into the wrong hands.




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