RFID in Japan

Ryounan Kindergarten in Kanagawa prefecture is experimentally using active RFID tags for taking attendance. All of the 230 kids (as well as the teachers) in the kindergarten carry active RFID tags that operate in the 300MHz band. .

At the kindergarden, kids come sometime between 8:30 and 9:30AM and some come with their parents and others by a school bus. So, it's been a bit complecated to track attendance manually. The active tags and the reader devices installed at the kindergarten's gates are used to automate the process of taking attendance.

Nikkei discusses -- the director of the kindergarten says "no teachers raised voices against this" because there is the benefit of making the [teachers'] tasks efficient even though it may be possible that some kindergarten staff are against making everyone always carry RFID tags.

via Nikkei RFID Technology

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

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

Another eye-catching system developed at Keio University. It's called Key Transponder -- the key-shaped objects have RFID tags inside and the white box is a reader. You basically put your "key" on the reader to open a door but there's a twist. When you use your "key" to open someone else's door, the system notifies the person who has the real key via email/SMS. and.. you may or may not be able to get in.

thanks regine!

NTT Data unveiled the result of another pilot test of the system I Safety. I Safety uses RFID tags to track kids for their security and parents' peace of mind.

The following four services were tested from December till the end of March:

(1) Driver notification: In-car equipment reads RFID tags of nearby kids and alerts the driver saying "be careful, there are kids nearby" (this may be useful at intersections without good visibility).

(2) Alert: the RFID tags have a button kids can push and call security staff, volunteers (who live nearby or happen to be driving nearby).

(3) Spot notification: At key spots, like school gates, RFID readers are placed. when kids pass through the spots, SMS/email messages are sent to parents.

(4) Area search: search where kids are (and where kids were) using a web browser.

Service (1) sounds unique and NTT Data claims it helped drivers maintain attentiveness and it was useful for supporting safe driving.

via NTT Data news release

Two types of RFID-based keys/locks will soon be sold in Japan.

Miwa Lock will sell the iEL system in May, which allows consumers to use RFID cards as well as RFID-chipped cell phones as keys. Consumers can check if a door is locked or not on the internet.

Alpha's "Entry Lock 9200" system is similar to the iEL system, but it also allows family members to exchange data about unlocking via SMS messages (and thereby "share a key").

via Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun

NTT Business Asocie Co. Ltd. (NTT-BA) announced that they have developed a mobile key and security system that together allow consumers to use NTT DoCoMo's RFID-chipped phones (wallet phones) as apartment/house keys. The name of the system is MoCoCa (Mobile Communication and Control for Comfortable Area)

This system will be deployed in two new apartments in Tokyo: Garden Nakano and Asociel Waseda.

MoCoCa website

via Cnet Japan, March 8, 2006 (in Japanese)

First time I heard about this project was about a year ago (see the entry "Vending Machines As Police Robots") and in May, a company called NAJ was installing vending machines with integrated surveillance cameras in Osaka (see the entry "Vending Machines with Surveillance Cameras to be tested").

On February 20, a major pilot test of these "vending machine robots" started at Chuou Elementary School in Osaka. It will last till March 20. The vending machines read RFID tags attached to kids' school bags, takes pictures, and send the pictures to the kids' parents. Also, if one presses a portable emergency button near a "vending machine robot," it makes a loud alarm sound and a red light flashes. Then, volunteers come and rescue her.

via Touou Nippou, Nishio Lab.