eweek.com— RuBee tags main advantage over RFID is that it can be read through liquids and metals. No more stuffing something in a foil bag to keep the device from being read.
Jun 12, 2006View in Crawl 4
Well.. you can't eliminate them completely. I use my tinfoil hat often so the government can't read my thoughts... works perfectly. I have yet to be contacted by them.
I'm just thinking out loud here..how hard is to get a bunch of those RFID tags that make the stores go beep crazy? I'd like to stick some of them in papers and throw them out very near to the store.. and let the wind do the rest...
Hi I am the Chair of P1902.1 Workgroup and thought would reply First: let me emphasize RuBee is not a replacement for RFID - RuBee and RFID are complementary - Gen2 tags are quit impressive - designers have done an amazing job - very smart capable group – my company uses 13.56 tags for something’s internally - they too are very neat. RuBee is great for Visibility systems on shelves in rooms for high valued assets and in livestock feed lots – All of this debate is kinda like passing a law - “all bolts will be metric and 1/4 20 thread” - different nuts for different bolts.. Rubee is fantastic in some applications and RFID is fantastic in others – some overlap but not much ..... Second: Visibility is not really about tag cost - in most applications tag cost is inconsequential because the visibility ROI (savings and new topline) based on data and inventory reduction, product pedigree, IT costs reduction for certified audit trails for SEC and FDA is what it is all about – the ROI is so high that the cost of gadgets and hardware shrinks. If you leave a wrench (steel) inside of a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy engine it crashes and you lost $100 million dollars – so how much is a tag worth for that wrench or all wrenches that are used in C5’s ? Key is you have deliver a working visibility network to customer that provides that ROI - not sell just collection of body parts (tags readers middleware applicationware). – RuBee is focused on that integrated value. Let’s talk about body parts - RF-ID tags have the potential to be very low cost, but they are not today -- many reasons but P1902.1 is not focused on the 5 cents target RFID has set - P1902.1 is focused on high content, high asset value applications that require local memory and in many cases local smarts - if a passive RFID tag has memory it uses EEPROM. E Squared increases chip real-estate and ads extra process steps and at least to cost limits memory in passive systems – It also costs lot of extra power to write and slows down write time (7 tags per second) - If you built an RF-ID tag with same memory as a RuBee tag (typical 256 - 512 bytes not bits, with some as high as 5Kbytes ) - Rubee will always be lower cost - Look in your laptop or desk top most still use a Li battery (CR2525) and sRAM combo for date time bios etc. for storage - reason it is less expensive compared to EEPROM. When you purchase batteries in volume they are not expensive. Third: RuBee tags may also be passive (no battery) – that is part of 1902.1 these tags are powered by a separate carrier (not same as communication frequency). These tags have less range than active Rubee tags, but are cost competitive re most features with current RF-ID, including costs. But again we do not think they will displace RFID tags – many applications for the battery less RuBee tags within RuBee networks. Finally, because RuBee is peer-to-peer – a tag may be reader – that means we can create low cost readers connected to things like locks ATM’s even cell phones. Plus the existing long range network readers are in the same cost range as a good Wi-Fi router. Privacy, issues are real and P1902.1 will eventually address those just like 802.11 has. Our view is that privacy protection is not going to come from aluminum foil – it is going to come from an open specification that guarantees encryption and ability to protect data and information. The WWW and 802.11 has many years of experience and we think has addressed issues well --- 1902.1 will take that lead. This Visibility stuff as new and an industry has enormous potential – can increase efficiency and make life easier – its next big thing in “search”. But visibility is still young and vulnerable – right now it requires everyone’s enthusiastic partnership and support to develop – it is not just about tag cost or frequency or privacy – key is too make visibility work well now for real applications and provide actual ROI’s that are real – this will take lot of time and maybe even some more failure –failure is requirement for technological progress – Our bet is in end will many different nuts and bolts and we hope IEEE P1902.1 will be one of those nuts/bolts in your chest along with others that will contribute to visibility success. I am always available … John K. StevensChair IEEE P1902.1 Workgroup617-395-7601
Actually these RuBee tags are active and the capacitors discharge on the transistor based on an incoming signal diode antenna[an RF pulse inductively generated by an ocsillating magentic pule which is generated by AC]. So these are no different that far field active RFID tags. And yes you can diminish the transmitting signal by metallic contact. The signal even drops when residing on a metallic surface[direct contact]. These tags are no big deal and nothing to wink at, so lets just pump out better RFID tags!
imtigger2Jun 12, 2006
Well.. you can't eliminate them completely. I use my tinfoil hat often so the government can't read my thoughts... works perfectly. I have yet to be contacted by them.
catastropheeJun 12, 2006
Would a hard drive magnet work?
zoneJun 13, 2006
I'm just thinking out loud here..how hard is to get a bunch of those RFID tags that make the stores go beep crazy? I'd like to stick some of them in papers and throw them out very near to the store.. and let the wind do the rest...
mrpackrat42Jun 13, 2006
Well, if you're the one carrying the marked goods around, you're not the customer. You're the commodity.
jkmstevensJun 16, 2006
Hi I am the Chair of P1902.1 Workgroup and thought would reply First: let me emphasize RuBee is not a replacement for RFID - RuBee and RFID are complementary - Gen2 tags are quit impressive - designers have done an amazing job - very smart capable group – my company uses 13.56 tags for something’s internally - they too are very neat. RuBee is great for Visibility systems on shelves in rooms for high valued assets and in livestock feed lots – All of this debate is kinda like passing a law - “all bolts will be metric and 1/4 20 thread” - different nuts for different bolts.. Rubee is fantastic in some applications and RFID is fantastic in others – some overlap but not much ..... Second: Visibility is not really about tag cost - in most applications tag cost is inconsequential because the visibility ROI (savings and new topline) based on data and inventory reduction, product pedigree, IT costs reduction for certified audit trails for SEC and FDA is what it is all about – the ROI is so high that the cost of gadgets and hardware shrinks. If you leave a wrench (steel) inside of a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy engine it crashes and you lost $100 million dollars – so how much is a tag worth for that wrench or all wrenches that are used in C5’s ? Key is you have deliver a working visibility network to customer that provides that ROI - not sell just collection of body parts (tags readers middleware applicationware). – RuBee is focused on that integrated value. Let’s talk about body parts - RF-ID tags have the potential to be very low cost, but they are not today -- many reasons but P1902.1 is not focused on the 5 cents target RFID has set - P1902.1 is focused on high content, high asset value applications that require local memory and in many cases local smarts - if a passive RFID tag has memory it uses EEPROM. E Squared increases chip real-estate and ads extra process steps and at least to cost limits memory in passive systems – It also costs lot of extra power to write and slows down write time (7 tags per second) - If you built an RF-ID tag with same memory as a RuBee tag (typical 256 - 512 bytes not bits, with some as high as 5Kbytes ) - Rubee will always be lower cost - Look in your laptop or desk top most still use a Li battery (CR2525) and sRAM combo for date time bios etc. for storage - reason it is less expensive compared to EEPROM. When you purchase batteries in volume they are not expensive. Third: RuBee tags may also be passive (no battery) – that is part of 1902.1 these tags are powered by a separate carrier (not same as communication frequency). These tags have less range than active Rubee tags, but are cost competitive re most features with current RF-ID, including costs. But again we do not think they will displace RFID tags – many applications for the battery less RuBee tags within RuBee networks. Finally, because RuBee is peer-to-peer – a tag may be reader – that means we can create low cost readers connected to things like locks ATM’s even cell phones. Plus the existing long range network readers are in the same cost range as a good Wi-Fi router. Privacy, issues are real and P1902.1 will eventually address those just like 802.11 has. Our view is that privacy protection is not going to come from aluminum foil – it is going to come from an open specification that guarantees encryption and ability to protect data and information. The WWW and 802.11 has many years of experience and we think has addressed issues well --- 1902.1 will take that lead. This Visibility stuff as new and an industry has enormous potential – can increase efficiency and make life easier – its next big thing in “search”. But visibility is still young and vulnerable – right now it requires everyone’s enthusiastic partnership and support to develop – it is not just about tag cost or frequency or privacy – key is too make visibility work well now for real applications and provide actual ROI’s that are real – this will take lot of time and maybe even some more failure –failure is requirement for technological progress – Our bet is in end will many different nuts and bolts and we hope IEEE P1902.1 will be one of those nuts/bolts in your chest along with others that will contribute to visibility success. I am always available … John K. StevensChair IEEE P1902.1 Workgroup617-395-7601
kocasianJul 4, 2007
Actually these RuBee tags are active and the capacitors discharge on the transistor based on an incoming signal diode antenna[an RF pulse inductively generated by an ocsillating magentic pule which is generated by AC]. So these are no different that far field active RFID tags. And yes you can diminish the transmitting signal by metallic contact. The signal even drops when residing on a metallic surface[direct contact]. These tags are no big deal and nothing to wink at, so lets just pump out better RFID tags!