Radio Frequency ID (RFID) Tracking System for a Building Complex Tim Gordon Matt Tracy John O’Malley Mentor: Y. Shang, Y. Saab

Background Supply Chain Automation Information about items stored digitally Shipment Tracking Inventory Control Previous Technologies UPC Magnetic Strips

Origins Radio Frequency ID Used on a primitive level since WWII First circuits incorporated in 1970s In widespread use since late 80s Used in several applications Airplane Transponders Automatic Tolling Systems Animal Tracking Store Anti-theft System

Active vs. Passive RFID Tags Active tags in widespread usage Transmit a signal, have internal logic Typically found on more valuable objects Prohibitively expensive for small items

Active vs. Passive RFID Tags Passive tags No power-source Cheaper, but less data capacity Short read range

RFID Readers/Scanners Examples of various RFID scanning devices

RFID for the Supply Chain RFID tags superior to UPC barcodes Can be read from a distance Less manual work required Multiple tags can be read at once Store more information “EPC” Electronic Product Code More descriptive than UPC Can describe an individual item, not just product Linked to the internet

Important Players EPC Global Standards committee Created from Auto-ID Labs, MIT Producers Physical Tagging Systems Motorola HP Software Systems Siemens

Problem Statement Raw Data Not easily human-readable Useless without context Far more information than a tracking application requires Can contain inaccuracies EPC Tags Useless without product info Product information must be consistent through the supply chain

Raw Data

Problem Statement RFID vs. UPC/Barcoding Not useful as a simple substitute Only becomes valuable when used with computer automation Extra data available from EPCs requires a network of EPC data Has the possibility to be much faster and more informative than UPCs, but will not be with hardware alone

Literature Review Approach to finding literature Specific Topics: Physical Technologies Data management Algorithms Software System proposals Standards definitions Prototyping examples Privacy, Safety and Risks

Literature Review

Goals + Objectives Produce small tracking application for an RFID-enabled building complex Alpha data will simulate data from application interfaces Will require a backend interface Application has simple GUI

Context Diagram

Obstacles + Risks Time Not Enough Not a well-developed sector yet Solutions are still fairly proprietary Developed primarily in-house by clients Documentation Not a great volume Difficult to sort through, highly technical

Obstacles + Risk Alpha Data Must accurately simulate environment General Software/Hardware Considerations Standards Back Ends Operating Systems Hardware Scope