Many hospitals are implementing one-off systems to achieve a specific aim, such as identifying patients or tracking one type of assets. While these system can achieve significant benefits, implementing RFID infrastructure that can be used to track patients, assets, surgical instruments that need to be decontaminated and other applications can profoundly improve a hospitals bottom line. I propose we take an infrastructure approach to RFID and implement for applications of patient identification, tracking surgical instruments and asset management.

Devices and enterprise systems need to integrate with your RFID software. The biggest delay in most RFID implementations can be attributed to RFID software configuration and integration. Once you have determined your hardware needs and configuration specifications your RFID infrastructure should not be a bottleneck as long as you employ and experienced implementation team. However, from a systems standpoint, every RFID implementation is somewhat unique. RFID middleware also happens to be the least mature component of any RFID solution stack.

End users should take great care designing their RFID systems architecture and selecting RFID middleware. No one RFID middleware vendor can meet all client needs well, so trade offs are an inevitable part of finding a good fit for your needs. As a testament to the variability of end user requirements, ODIN technologies has worked on RFID implementations with six different RFID middleware solutions, none of which could have worked well across all of the solutions. It is worth extra time to make sure that the RFID middleware you choose can meet your platform, workflow, rules, user interface, device support, data management and integration requirements.

Specifically, Atlas aims to be your "turnkey" partner for integrating RFID into your current operational systems. We offer the following services:

RFID Solution Architecture RFID Systems Design RFID Equipment Installation RFID Solution Integration RFID Solution Training RFID Equipment Maintenance and Customer Support RFID Solutions Consulting RFID Security Assessment

Most companies will need to hire a systems integrator to install the readers, determine the right placement of tags for products and make sure that they are feeding data to the middleware in the right format. RFID systems can be tricky to install in a way that provides accurate reads because many factors affect the ability to read a tag, including the placement of the tag, placement of antennas and type of antennas.

Companies will also need to invest in training for their employees, particularly engineering staff who will manage readers in manufacturing and warehouse facilities, and IT staff who will work on the systems that manage RFID data.

The costs can be significant, particularly at this stage when the industry is very immature. In a report published in March 2004, Forester Research estimated that it would cost a $12 billion consumer products goods manufacturer $128,000 for consulting and integration, $315,000 for the time of the internal project team and $80,000 for tag and reader testing.

As the technology improves and is more widely adopted, costs will come down and the technology will be easier to install. Middleware and Servers Middleware is a generic term used to describe software that resides between the RFID reader and enterprise applications. It's a critical component of any RFID system, because the middleware takes the raw data from the reader—a reader might read the same tag 100 times per second—filters it and passes on the useful event data to back-end systems. Middleware plays a key role in getting the right information to the right application at the right time.

There are many RFID middleware products on the market. All do some basic filtering, but many also perform additional functions. Some middleware manages RFID readers: It monitors their health, configures them, sends software updates and so on. Other middleware may manage the data recorded in databases for enterprise applications to use.

And some middleware has its own applications, often for a specific industry. One application might be confirmation of shipment and receipt. When a product is sent to a retailer, the middleware confirms the shipment and sends an electronic message to the retailer with the EPCs in the shipment. When the retailer receives the goods, receipt is confirmed and a message is sent to the supplier. The retailer doesn't need to be running the same middleware because most RFID middleware is based on standardized Internet languages, such as XML, and protocols, such as Simple Object Access Protocol. (For an in-depth look at RFID middleware and the leading providers, subscribers should read RFID to ERP: The Land Between).

The cost of middleware varies from vendor to vendor and is usually based on the number of locations where it will be installed, the complexity of the application and many other factors. Forrester Research put the cost of middleware at $183,000 for a $12 billion manufacturer looking to meet the RFID tagging requirements of a major retailer.

Companies will also need to purchase servers to run middleware within a warehouse, distribution center or production facility. These servers are sometimes called edge servers, because they are close to the edge of the network where the digital world meets the real world. Edge servers are standard computer servers. They typically do not have any special hardware, and they connect to readers using serial or Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports.

Enterprise Applications The goal of any RFID system is to generate data that can be acted on to boost efficiency, cut costs or provide other business benefits. That means that companies will need to invest in enterprise applications that can make use of RFID data. Warehouse management software providers, such as Manhattan Associates and RedPrairie, have upgraded their applications to manage the unique serial numbers in RFID tags. Enterprise resource planning software providers, such as SAP and Oracle, are also working to upgrade their applications. It's likely that software will evolve as RFID adoption spreads and companies learn how to use RFID data to improve their operations. The cost of these applications vary depending on the number of "seats"—how many users will access the application—the number of locations ??? and other factors.

EPCglobal Network Infrastructure The vision of the Auto-ID Center, which created the Electronic Product Code, was to have a global network infrastructure—a layer integrated with the Internet—that would enable companies to look up basic information about items as they moved through the global supply chain. Additional data would be stored in secure databases, so supply chain partners could share information about the location of products

They are useful when activities are regular and well defined, and requirements for data storage and security are limited; when accesses are frequent, continuous or unpredictable, there are time constraints to meet or data processing (internal searches, for instance) to perform, active tags may be preferred.Many RFID tags include a built-in 'kill' function. When provided with the correct pass-code, a tag can be either reprogrammed or told to 'self destruct', rendering it uselessThe Electronic Product Code, (EPC), is a family of coding schemes created as an eventual successor to the bar code. The EPC was created as a low-cost method of tracking goods using RFID technology. It is designed to meet the needs of various industries, while guaranteeing uniqueness for all EPC-compliant tags. EPC tags were designed to identify each item manufactured, as opposed to just the manufacturer and class of products, as bar codes do today. The EPC accommodates existing coding schemes and defines new schemes where necessary.Radio frequency identification is the next wave in the evolution of computing. Essentially, it's a technology that connects objects to Internet, so they can be tracked, and companies can share data about them. The concept is simple: Place a transponder—a microchip with an antenna—on an item and then use a reader—a device with one or more antennas—to read data off of the microchip using radio waves. The reader passes

the information to a computer, so that the data can be used to create business value.

Active tags have a read range of up to 300 feet (100 meters) and can be read reliably because they broadcast a signal to the reader (some systems can be affected by rain). They generally cost from $10 to $50, depending on the amount of memory, the battery life required, whether the tag includes an on-board temperature sensor or other sensors, and the ruggedness required. A thicker, more durable plastic housing will increase the cost.

Passive tags can operate at low frequency, high frequency and ultra-high frequency. Low-frequency systems generally operate at 124 kHz, 125 kHz or 135 kHz. High-frequency systems use 13.56 MHz, and ultra-high frequency systems use a band anywhere from 860 MHz to 960 MHz. Some systems also use 2.45 Ghz and other areas of the radio spectrum.

Radio waves behave differently at each of these frequencies, which means the different frequencies are suitable for different applications. We'll explain a little bit about the different frequencies, but it's useful to think of low frequency waves as the waves that reach your radio. They can penetrate walls well, but can't go through metal. Low-frequency tags are ideal for applications where the tag needs to be read through material or water at close range (more about read range in a minuteOrderING a radio frequency identification system involves a lot more than purchasing the right tags and installing the right readers (see Basics of RFID Technology). To get business value from the all of the information collected, companies will need middleware to filter the data. They may need to upgrade enterprise applications and integrate it with RFID middleware. Each component will have up-front costs and some unexpected costs.

It's not possible to provide a list of every element that every company will need and the cost of those systems, but we'll explain each of the major components, provide some guidelines on costs and point out where there might be some hidden costs. Keep in mind that every company's needs—and every application—are different, so costs will vary widely from implementation to implementation.

UHF readers range in price from $500 to $3,000, depending on their functionality.The cost of middleware varies from vendor to vendor and is usually based on the number of locations where it will be installed, the complexity of the application and many other factors. Forrester Research put the cost of middleware at $183,000 for a $12 billion manufacturer looking to meet the RFID tagging requirements of a major retailer.

I PROPOSE THAT WE IMPLEMENT RFID as a trial base in our surgical department for 12 Months

If wide-scale RFID adoption is around the corner, how do you take the next step? Here are six tips for exploring the future of RFID: 1. Take your time, and formulate a strategy. "The challenge most organizations are facing is choosing a short-term or long-term plan," says Jeff Richards, of VeriSign. Using RFID data has the potential to replace use of bar codes as the standard method for identifying and tracking items in a supply chain. If you don't consider those implications, you may find yourself replacing or significantly upgrading your RFID sooner than you expect. 2. If meeting a customer's RFID requirements is the only thing driving your use of the technology, consider using a third party to apply RFID tags after your products leave your warehouse. This will allow you to comply without having to make a partial, isolated investment in an RFID system; will buy you time to fully consider your approach to the technology; and will ultimately save you time and money. 3. Find an off-the-shelf solution. If you install a software solution that has been designed around emerging RFID best practices, you can save a lot of time and money compared to designing something from scratch . . . 4. . . . but make sure it connects with your existing ERP system. If you create an isolated RFID infrastructure to address a specific business demand such as customer compliance, you won't be getting the added value of business intelligence that comes from combining data from different parts of your organization.

5. Get creative with tag purchases. RFID tag prices have fallen in recent years, but they're still pricey. Consider buying tags in volume to negotiate a better price. If your RFID infrastructure is evolving, consider teaming up with other companies in your supply chain to buy together in volume. 6. Keep it simple. An RFID system will require you to collect more information about your enterprise, but don't get carried away. Don't feel like you have to read a tag 10 times per second, just because you can. Your reporting systems are going to eliminate duplicate data anyway. Look for efficient ways to get what you need in order to limit the new demands Tag Chip tags consist of a microchip and a coupling element - an antenna. Most tags are only activated when they are within the interrogation zone of the interrogator; outside they "sleep". Chip tags can be both read-only (programmed during manufacture) or, at higher complexity and cost, read-write, or both. Chip tags contain memory. The size of the tag depends on the size of the antenna, which increases with range of tag and decreases with frequency. Interrogator Depending on the application and technology used, some interrogators not only read, but also remotely write to, the tags. For the majority of low cost tags (tags without batteries), the power to activate the tag microchip is supplied by the reader through the tag antenna when the tag is in the interrogation zone of the reader, as is the timing pulse - these are known as passive tags. Middleware Middleware is the interface needed between the interrogator and the existing company databases and information management software.IDTechEx market research shows that 20% of the money spent on RFID in 2006 involves active RFID but 24% of the fund raising and acquisition that we have examined involves active RFID.The networks that exist today to support bar codes willmore than likely be able to support RFID. RFID and bar codes are both technologies that deliver data to a host system; however, there is a main point of difference. Bar codes utilize one-way serialized and periodic data. RFID is two-way. Data passes from the tag to the reader/encoder and then can pass back again, depending on the application or need to update the tag. Data can be delivered from multiple tags effectively in parallel, and—by virtue of not requiring human intervention—can provide more data in real time.

There needs to be bridge software, or middleware, incorporated into the overall architecture to prevent the amount of data that hits the system at the same time from overwhelming it. So RFID requires data filtering and data-flow management, to turn parallel, two-way data into the serialized data that a legacy system can handle. These functions can be also partially handled by the printer/encoders and readers.

Another consideration—the need for more bandwidth in the network—depends on how much RFID increases the overall amount of data flow within the network. If existing networks can handle the additional traffic with the speed required by the applications, they should not necessarily need to be upgraded or be any more complex.Error! Filename not specified.

What obstacles today have been encountered that will not allow use of RFID? Back to TopError! Filename not specified.Clearly, physics plays a role here. A product may need to be re-engineered with new packaging or a new design in order to achieve optimal performance

from an applied RFID system. Or a business process may need to be changed in order to remove obstacles that prevent RFID used in a specific case. There also has been a lot of discussion about liquids and metals inhibiting RFID from working well, but work-around strategies have lessened this as a mitigating factor. At this time, no significant barriers have emerged that would prevent implementing and using RFID technology in a variety of applications.