RFID (radio-frequency identification) is the use of a wireless non-contact system
that uses radio-frequencyelectromagnetic fields to transfer datafrom a tag attached
to an object, for the purposes of automatic identification and tracking [38]. The
basic technologies for RFID have been around for a long time. Its root can be traced
back to an espionage device designed in 1945 by Leon Theremin of the Soviet
Union,whichretransmittedincidentradiowaves modulatedwith audioinformation.
After decades of development, RFID systems have gain more and more attention
from both the research community and the industry.
LIKE SO MANY OTHERS , THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN BECAUSE WE COULDN ’ T FIND ONE LIKE IT . We
needed something to hand to all of those people who have come to us asking for “a good
book to read on RFID.” When we looked for candidates we found some great books, but
most were aimed at electrical engineers or top-level managers, with very little for those of
us who are in between. This book is for developers, system and software architects, and
project managers, as well as students and professionals in all of the industries impacted by
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) who want to understand how this technology
works. As the title suggests, this book is about RFID in general and not just the most
recent developments; however, because so much is going on in the area of RFID for the
supply chain and especially the Electronic Product Code (EPC), we have devoted consider-
able space to these topics. Regardless of the type of RFID work you may be doing, we
think you will find something useful here.
Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a type of automatic identification systems
which has gained popularity in recent years for being fast and reliable in keeping
track of the individual objects. In RFID systems, contactless object identification
is achieved using radio signals without the need for physical contact as the case
with other existing identification technologies such as barcodes. Therefore, a huge
number of items can be identified in a short amount of time with high reliability
and low cost which makes the RFID technology very attractive for a wide range of
applications such as supply chain management, e-health, monitoring humans, pets,
animals, and many other objects, toll control, and electrical tagging. Furthermore,
RFID technology eliminates the human error and reduces the total cost of the
products.
RFID networks are currently recognized as one a research area of priority. Research
activities related to RFID technology have been booming recently. A number of ongoing
projects are being funded in Europe, Asia, and North America. According to leading
market analysts, the development of the RFID market is projected to increase from
approximately $3 billion in 2005 to $25 billion in 2015. Several countries have dedicated
innovation programs to support and develop RFID systems and related technologies: the
RFID initiative in Taiwan, Ubiquitous Japan and the NSF SBIR program in the USA.
The EU has recently advertised its Strategic Research Roadmap concerning the Internet of
Things, which first of all refers to the RFID technology before being extended to commu-
nicating devices as in M2M (Machine to Machine). In this roadmap, several application
domains have been identified:
Radio frequency identification (RFID) is gaining in popularity, especially
as we find ourselves in this communications age and headed towards a
ubiquitous computing world. Automatic identification systems become
an important aspect not just in today’s technology but also as part of our
daily life. We need RFID in our cars, transportation systems, access
points, and even simple transactions; we also acknowledge the need for
RFID in our logistics systems, healthcare, and tracking and locating
applications.
Radio frequency identification (RFID) and Wireless sensor networks (WSN) are
the two key wireless technologies that have diversified applications in the present
and the upcoming systems in this area. RFID is a wireless automated recognition
technology which is primarily used to recognize objects or to follow their posi-
tion without providing any sign about the physical form of the substance. On the
other hand, WSN not only offers information about the state of the substance
and environment but also enables multi-hop wireless communications.
