RFID in Japan

ZDNet Asia reports:

Samsung Tesco last year equipped its shopping trolleys and baskets with RFID chips to track customer movements at each of its 69 stores. The supermarket chain is a joint venture established in 1999 between consumer electronics giant Samsung and U.K. supermarket operator Tesco.

via zdnet asia < rfid news

NTT West recently unveiled an RFID system for repelling monkeys. Well, it's not only for monkeys, but their primary focus is monkeys. The system is designed to prevent monkeys/animals from messing up farms. Monkeys are first RFID-tagged. When they approach farms, the system detects them using RFID readers and notifies the residents via email. In addition, some lighting/sound alarms are used to scare off monkeys.

The system exploits "multi-hop RFID tags" that were developed by NTT Labs. The tags not only send out information but also read and relay information. When the tags are attached to monkeys, the tags are configured as a "transmitter." They can also be configured as a reader and installed in the environment. In mountains, where there is no wireless/network connectivity, the tags can be configured as relay devices and installed at key points. They are battery-powered and operate in the 429MHz band. The communication range is less than 1km.

via Nikkei IT Pro

Sanno University in Japan is experimentally using RFID tags to make classes more interactive.

RFID readers are installed on desks and students put their FeliCa RFID cards on the readers when a class starts. The RFID readers are integrated with devices that have four switches -- students can for example push the switches to answer a teacher's question. Then, the students' responses are automatically aggregated and shown on the teacher's personal computer.

via nikkei

Two elementary schools in the city of Warabi, Saitama Prefecture are going to use active RFID tags (SPIDER tags) to track kids' whereabouts. 30 RFID readers are being installed near the school gate and on the way to/from the school. Parents can check their kids' whereabots for their peace of mind. The tags communication range is about 30 - 40 meters. There's a web portal site school teachers and kids' parents can access. The system was developed by NextCom and the netwok infrastructures are provided by Warabi Cable Vision.

via nikkei, june 26, 2006

TAGSYS gets largest library RFID deployment project in China - RFID Gazette reports.

Less than two weeks ago, NEC announced that they developed a system that combines rfid and surveillance camera. the system can continuously track people or vehicles. The system uses a camera and RFID in a complementary fashion. When a camera recognizes a moving entity, the system reads information from an RFID tag (carried by a person or a vehicle). Also, it uses RFID to track rough positions of moving entities when they cannot be detected by a camera. The system automatically switches between camera-based and RFID-based tracking.

The company plans to make the system available for uses at airports, train systems, electric power plants, corporate research labs, etc.

via nikkei sangyo shimbun, june 12, 2006

Nikkei RFID technology recently reported on a couple of RFID pilot tests that were led by the government. The pilot tests were conducted in the context of METI's so-called Japanese Future Store Project. A unique experiment was done by retailer Marui and apparel company Flandre. The two companies RFID-tagged individual men's and women's clothes and then installed a smart-shelf driven sales promotion system -- when a sales item is picked by a customer, the system visually explains why the item is special, recommends matching clothes, etc. The pilot test was done at Marui City Shinjuku around the end of last year.

They've made some nice video clips featuring models -- they spent most of the money for the pilot test for this part: making good video contents that are triggered by RFID. They aimed at providing unique "surprising" experiences to consumers, which conventional customer service couldn't provide, and assess the effects of such sales promotion.

Marui's spokesperson says that the sales probably increased by 10-20%, compared to stores without RFID.

They also thought about installing RFID-triggered ads in fitting rooms, however, their final decision was to install them at the storefront where customers are still just beginning to be interested in a sales item.

via nikkei rfid technology

Dai Nippon Printing (DNP) is starting mass production of UHF RFID tags. They are currently making hundreds of thousands of tags a month and are planning to increase their production capacity (of UHF RFID tags) to a hundred million a year. The tags are based on EPCglobal's standard and cost about 40 Japanese Yen (about 35 cents) or less. DNP's competitor, Toppan Printing is also planning to start UHF RFID mass production.

via nikkei shimbun, june 8