Evaluate the Use of Radio Frequency Identification (rfid) Technology

Purpose

The aim of this report was to explain how the use of Radio Frequency Identification technology helps us to do the most basic to the most complex of operations. This report shows us the advantages of RFID technology and practical use of this technology. This report concludes that if RFID technology is incorporated with hospital information systems it would reduce medical, medication and diagnosis errors.

Introduction

        Radio Frequency Identification is a wireless technology which is capable of automatically identifying objects by extracting a unique identifier from microelectronic tags, without proper line of sight to the object. RFID consists of three parts: a scanning antenna, a transceiver with a decoder to understand the data and a transponder (RFID tag) that has been programmed with information. A RFID system consists of tags which are attached to the objects that are to be identified. Every tag has its own read and writes memory. This allows the RFID system to detect the objects and perform work on it. This report shows us the advantages of RFID technology and the practical use of this technology. RFID has mainly three parts as discussed above. The antenna sends short bursts of radio frequency signals over a relatively short range. These doe’s two main things firstly it provides a way of communicating with the transponder and gives the RFID tag the energy to communicate back (Sun, 2012).

Technical Problems RFID has overcome

        RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is becoming prominent technology planned to complement and to take the place of traditional barcode technology for identifying, tracking, and tracing items automatically. RFID claims to add intelligence and minimize human intervention in the process of item identification and processing it by using electronic tags. Tags are very different from printed barcodes in their capacity to hold data, range from where the tags could be read, and without proper line-of-sight they could be read. RFID tags do not need to contain batteries; they can be used for long periods of time as they do not have batteries they would not run out of power. When RFID tags passes through the scanning antenna, it detects the signal from that antenna and the RFID chip wakes up and transmits the data back to the scanning antenna (Zhu, Mukhopadhyay, & Kurata, 2012)..

        Many devices which are access controlled currently use technology which is based on smart cards, which need to be swiped in a reader. Use of RFID technology also makes control systematic. Systematic means that when two people accessing the same area at the same time should be recorded. When access control uses smart cards, one person opening a door using the smart card and an unauthorized person could slip in behind him, without the system having a record of it. However, when using RFID, a person with a tag comes into range, the reader detects the person automatically (Jia et al., 2012).

        Some libraries implant RFID tags in the books, which allow users to take out, return and borrow books by themselves. Librarians can also detect books that are missing or misfiled. Using a hand held RFID reader, the books on the shelves can be checked that which belongs there and which does not (Singh & Mahajan, 2014).

        Sub-dermal tags are implanted under the skin of animals or people. RFID tags are specially used for tracking cattle, as well as keeping count of animals. Tags can be very useful for studying migration patterns of fish, by tagging them and keeping their track at regular intervals. This technology can be used for computer access. Without typing in a user name and password, users have a tag implanted under his palm, and simply by waving his hand in front of the monitor, which has an RFID reader inbuilt they can login (Gasson, 2012).

Technological limitations

Radio Frequency Identification systems can be implemented in different ways by different manufacturers. RFID devices should be present in their own local network, as in the case of RFID tags used for inventory control within a company would be useless outside of the company network. This can cause problems for companies.

RFID systems use the electromagnetic spectrum; they can be very easily jammed, using the right high frequency signals. Jamming frequency would be a problem for consumers in stores; jamming RFID signals could be disastrous in environments where RFID is largely used, like military field or hospitals.

 When signals from two or more readers overlap none of the tags could not respond to either one of the queries and reader collision occurs. RFID systems should be carefully set to avoid this sort of problem; anti-collision protocol is placed in systems to avoid this. Anti-collision protocol helps the tags to take turns for transmitting to the reader.

In a small area where many tags are present tag collision occurs; the read time of a tag is very fast, it is easier for vendors to develop a system which ensure that tags respond not all at once but one at a time (Yao, Chu & Li, 2012).

New problems created by these limitations

After a RFID tag leaves the supply chain of an organization it can be read. An RFID tag cannot tell the difference between two different readers. Tags can be read from far as RFID readers are portable. This allows anyone to see the contents of purses. Some tags can be turned off when the item has left the supply chain.

If consumers try to remove these RFID tags they cannot because they are very small and others are hidden or embedded inside the products where consumers cannot see them. RFID tags which have unique serial numbers they could be linked to an individual credit card number. When an item with its own individual tracking number is scanned and purchased and is paid for, the RFID tag number for that particular item can be associated with a credit card number (Wang & Ip, 2013).