Today was the last day of the show and I’m blogging about cool applications and products. There was an abundance of them that had the ‘wow’ factor, but the following were standouts in my book.
- Xerafy’s embedded and ruggedized tags. Small and durable, with a respectable read range, these tags are creating waves (no pun intended) due to their ability to be embedded into a range of products. Xerafy showcased the embedded tags in tools, oil/gas flanges, concrete, and surgical instruments … even the soles of shoes. You have to check out their latest generation of tags – the smallest read on metal tag I’ve seen to date. Not bad for a company that has been around for less than 2 years.
- Austria Microsystems small reader modules and reader ICs. Known for their reader ICs (which are used in many mainstream readers), this company blew my mind when they showed me their small form factor reader module - about the size of an iPod shuffle (although a bit thicker). I could only imagine what these modules will be embedded into as they become more widely available. I’m definitely adding this company to my ‘watch list’!
- Ekahau’s badge tags and ‘Purell’ dispenser. I’ve always been impressed with Ekahau and their keen understanding of the healthcare market, but their badge tags and Purell dispenser caught my attention. Although their badge tags have been available for a while now (and are increasingly being improved upon and deployed), their integrating with a core cleaning protocol in hospitals was nothing but spot on. Linking RFID with cleaning/disinfecting dispensers is not new, but the way that Ekahau has done it is – they are using IR. They have created a simple, yet elegant system that ensures that healthcare workers sanitize their hands before entering and upon leaving a patients room. Check this out on their website – it’s a must see.
RFID Journal was a great show. I’d like to extend a personal thanks to Debbie Hughes and Debbie Lambert (the two people running things behind the curtain), for taking good care of me, and kudos to Mark Roberti for yet another memorable event.
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