RFID in Japan

Again, iD is a service to turn NTT DoCoMo's RFID-chipped phones (wallet phones) into credit cards. . All (6,700) FamilyMart convenience stores in Japan will probably introduce iD.

The number of stores that accept iD payment is increasing quite quickly. 8,300 Lawson convenience stores across the nation will introduce iD in a year, 1,350 AM/PM convenience stores will introduce iD by the end of this year.

via Nikkei Shimbun, March 29, 2006

RFID Journal reports:

Last week, Japan started issuing its first electronic passports (e-passports). Every five-year, 10-year and diplomatic passport the government issues will now include an RFID tag. The country expects to dispense more than 3.5 million e-passports within the next 12 months, with all Japanese passports will expected to carry an RFID chip within the next 10 years. Currently, Japan has 35 million passports in circulation.

Wireless Watch Japan reports: NTT DoCoMo, Inc. and LAWSON, Inc. have just announced a business alliance that will result in customers using DoCoMo's Osaifu-Keitai (phones with wallet functions) for a variety of practical mobile services at LAWSON convenience stores beginning by April 30th.

UWB (ultra wideband) devices will be allowed in Japan this summer (July or August). However, the radio frequency bands allocated for UWB will be quite limited, at least in the beginning. The government recently released a report that describes relevant issues (manly about radio frequency uses. )

One thing that might be worth mentioning is about the use of the 4.2Ghz-4.8Ghz band. Until the end of 2008, it is permitted to sell UWB devices operating in this band even if they don't use the DAA (detect and avoid) technology. This or nearby frequency bands may be allotted for 4G mobile communication services around 2010.

The rules could potentially change in the near future to make it easier to use UWB in Japan.

via Nikkei

Pasco, bitcorn, and KDDI Network&Solutions announced that they will together develop a so-called Intelligent Manhole System. RFID tags will be embedded in manhole covers in order to support critical tasks in a disaster situation.

The tagged manhole covers are for example used to provide information about things buried underground like sewer pipes. Since the sytem is linked to a local government's GIS system, rescue workers can use a handheld RFID reader (possibly bluetooth-enabled) and mobile phones/PDAs to display the data stored in the tags as well as the relevant information from the GIS system (e.g., photo maps, scheme drawings of a city's lifeline infrastructure). Such an information system may help repair damaged lifeline infrastructure quicker.

btw, here's a photo collection of Japanese manhole covers.

via KDDI Network & Solution's press release, March 27, 2006.

OMRON developed a new type of antenna technology that can electronically control the EM field emitted from an RFID reader.

While an electromagnetic wave from a conventional antenna propagates over a wide area as it travels in a given direction, OMRON's new antenna technology allows a wave with directivity to propagate in any specific direction, with the direction of the propagation controllable from the reader. This makes it possible to direct the wave's direction of propagation so as to avoid objects in the vicinity of the beam that may cause signal reflections. The result is reduced multipath interference, leading to significantly improved tag read performance of UHF RFID readers.

via JCN Network < RFIDblog.org

also: nikkei (thanks, regine!)

A Korean company has begun embedding RFID tags into casino chips. The read range is around 3 meters.

via Gizmodo

[A photo from a report on NICT's Ubiquitous Home. ]

DNP and NICT developed a RFID-based memory assistant that alerts a person if she is leaving her house without carrying the things she will need. (the idea is similar to UW Smart Watch
and BYOB.)

Suppose her important belongings are tagged using their 8cm x 4cm HF (13.56MHz) RFID tags, which provide the communication range of about 50cm - 70cm. A pressure sensor detects her presence at the house's front door and activates an RFID reader. The robot says "I'll check your bag" and she hold her bag closer to the reader. Then, the system checks if she has the right things in the bag using the captured data. If she forgot something important, the robot says "you forgot X." They've tested the system in a 'real' living environment and the found 80-90% tags could be read without errors. They will improve the hardware for better readability and are also thinking about integrating the system with an electronic calendar system so that the system can act more intelligently.

via Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun March 20

Related:
TagAlert
UW Smart Watch

BYOB