2006年全球RFID十大趨勢

2006年RFID行業的十大趨勢總結(一)行業本身

2006年RFID行業的十大趨勢總結(二)Gen2

2006年RFID行業的十大趨勢總結(三)醫藥業

2006年RFID行業的十大趨勢總結(四)Alien上市風波

2006年RFID行業的十大趨勢總結(五)單品貼標啟動

2006年RFID行業的十大趨勢總結(六)HF VS UHF

2006年RFID行業的十大趨勢總結(七)沃爾瑪&國防部

2006年RFID行業的十大趨勢總結(八)資產追蹤

2006年RFID行業的十大趨勢總結(九)安全問題

2006年RFID行業的十大趨勢總結(十)應用平民化

source [rfidworld.com.cn]

Top 10 RFID Trends of 2006, Part 3

#3 – Pharma Fits and Starts
Tracking individual bottles of expensive, high-volume drugs has long been considered the low-hanging fruit for item-level RFID tagging. The pharmaceutical supply chain is highly fragmented, full of mom-and-pop wholesalers and distributors. Opportunities are rife to siphon off shipments of expensive drugs for resale on the black market, costing the industry billions annually. Worse, introducing bogus drugs into the supply chain, also easier than it should be, can have a far graver cost than dollars: human lives. For these reasons the US Food and Drug Administration has advocated RFID as a technological salve to pharmaceutical supply chain security, though it has never gone as far as mandating the technology’s usage.

This year saw RFID adoption by the pharmaceutical industry take a few steps forward, then a step or two back. A handful of major pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors began piloting or deploying the technology. Pfizer shipped RFID-tagged Vi*gra, and GlaxoSmithKline tagged the HIV drug Trizivir. Cardinal Health launched an end-to-end supply chain pilot, and pharmaceutical packaging giant O-I introduced a solution that allows pharmaceutical manufacturers to embed RFID tags within drug bottles.

While these developments are all positive, they don’t cumulatively amount to the level of progress hoped for and expected by many at the top of the year. Furthermore, in the last couple months there have been two sobering developments. First, the results of Cardinal’s pilot proved mixed, leading a company spokesman to conclude, “While our pilot demonstrated that using UHF RFID technology at the unit, case, and pallet level is feasible for track-and-trace purposes, a great deal of additional work needs to be undertaken by stakeholders across the industry to address significant challenges. Until those challenges are addressed, direct distribution of medicine continues to be the best near-term approach to maintain the highest levels of security and efficiency in the pharmaceutical supply chain.”

Second, just two weeks ago a US federal judge issued an injunction that lifts an FDA-mandated pedigree requirement for drug shipments. While RFID had not been a requirement for the pedigrees, industry observers agreed that pedigree enforcement generally was a positive step toward the ultimate adoption of RFID-based e-pedigrees. With the FDA pedigree requirement now postponed, momentum behind RFID e-pedigree adoption may be slowed.

Despite these setbacks, the argument for pharmaceutical-tagging remains largely unchallenged. Also, according to sources, more positive announcements are expected in early 2007.

Related articles:

• Injunction May Slow Momentum for RFID E-Pedigrees
• Pharmaceutical RFID Pilot Finds Promise, Problems
• Major RFID Innovation for Pharma Item-Level Tagging
• VDC: Pharma Item-Level RFID to Set Precedent
• Pharma RFID Adoption Still Seeking Shot in the Arm
• The Potential for RFID in Pharmaceutical Packaging
• An Interview with RFID Trailblazer H. D. Smith
• RFID Industry Implications of the FDA Update
• What the FDA Announcement Means for RFID
• FDA Announces Pharma RFID Recommendations
• Cardinal Health’s RFID Adoption Expands
• Pharma RFID Adoption – Retail All Over Again?
• GlaxoSmithKline Tags HIV Drug
• ABI: Only 10 Drugs Tagged in 2006
• Pfizer Shipping RFID-tagged Vi*gra

#2 – Gen2 Delights
EPCglobal’s Gen2 standard was ratified at the end of 2004, but it wasn’t until this year that vendors brought Gen2 products to market in meaningful volumes. The improved performance of these products over their Gen1 predecessors is, according to nearly everyone, dramatic.

Early positive reviews came from RFID solutions provider ODIN technologies with the January release of its Gen2 tag benchmark, which reported strong performance by the evaluated products. Later in the year, Wal-Mart made a number of public statements about the “step change” in performance from Gen1 to Gen2. Procter & Gamble vice president Richard Cantwell said in his keynote at the Baird RFID investor conference that Gen2 “is significantly better than Gen1” in P&G’s experience. When ODIN last month came out with a second tag benchmark, chief operating officer Bret Kinsella told RFID Update that the company had observed improved performance in Gen2 tags even since the January benchmark.

Many believe that Gen2’s strong performance could finally vault RFID adoption out of the “science project” phase. The news is only expected to get better as competition heats up among the RFID chip providers. Recall that Impinj’s year-long reign as sole Gen2 chip provider ended this fall, as Texas Instruments, STMicroelectronics, NXP (formerly Philips), and Alien all rolled out competitive Gen2 chip offerings.

In addition to being roundly praised all year long, Gen2 received another major boost in July when it was officially incorporated into the ISO standard for passive UHF RFID. While largely a formality since the standard already included a very similar specification, the official ISO designation cemented Gen2 as the global standard for passive RFID.

Related articles:

• ODIN Releases Global RFID Tag Benchmark
• Alien Opens RFID Tag Plant, Releases Gen2 Chip
• Interoperability Certified for 12 Gen2 RFID Products
• Philips Enters Gen2 RFID Chip Fray
• Impinj Expands Gen2 RFID Chip Portfolio
• Gen2 RFID Chips from STMicro Hit Market
• Texas Instruments Announces Gen2 RFID Chips
• New RFID Chip Product Launch Imminent
• ISO Incorporates Gen2 into RFID Standard
• TI First with Gen2 Shipments to Wal-Mart
• ODIN Releases Gen2 Tag Benchmark

#1 – The Industry Itself
No annual wrap-up would be complete without stepping back to take stock of the industry itself. Since the Wal-Mart and US Department of Defense mandates of 2003, the industry has been waiting and hoping for the so-called tipping point, the moment at which adoption reaches enough critical mass among early adopters to induce the mainstream to follow suit. Demand for the technology spreads rapidly, and the rising tide lifts all boats.

Needless to say, this moment did not come in 2006, and probably will not in 2007. But rather than dwelling on the negative, it is reassuring to observe just how far the industry has progressed in a short amount of time.

In 2004, even before the RFID hype had subsided, there was already industry acknowledgement that widespread adoption faced a number of obstacles. The oft-cited examples were nonexistent standards, intellectual property disputes, poor technology performance, privacy concerns, and lacking ROI. Of this list of five, it is safe to say that three have largely been overcome, and that a fourth is getting there. Gen2 is a successful, effective standard upon which an ever-expanding marketplace of products is based. It has also demonstrated very robust performance gains that will render obsolete the extensive tinkering needed to make early pilots behave.

As for intellectual property, Symbol and Intermec settled their disagreements, and many vendors have signed on to Intermec’s licensing program. Additionally, the RFID Consortium aims to facilitate IP licensing via a patent pool model that has proven successful in other technology industries. (As an aside, Alien sued Intermec earlier this year, bringing IP concerns momentarily back to the fore. But since June there have been no major developments, and the industry seems to have reacted with a shrug.)

The public consternation over privacy has not fully abated, but there has been solid progress. The industry has engaged the issue more actively and responsibly than a few years ago, when it seemed to hope the concerns would just go away on their own.

That leaves ROI — or lack thereof — as the intractable puzzle still begging for a solution. Unfortunately, there appears to be no silver bullet. It will require a combination of falling prices, business case discovery, and developments in data analytics. But the good news is that at the end of 2006, industry focus is trained squarely on this issue. Judging by past success, there is every reason to believe that the collective effort of the industry will soon overcome this obstacle as it has the rest.

source [RFIDUpdate] 2006.12.21

Top 10 RFID Trends of 2006, Part 2

#6 – HF vs. UHF
The debate about which flavor of RFID is preferable for item-level tagging — high frequency (HF) or ultrahigh frequency (UHF) — had existed in 2005, but it really peaked this year and will persist into 2007. HF proponents argue that their technology is tested and proven, especially around challenging materials like metal and liquid. UHF proponents argue that theirs can perform just as well around those materials, with the added benefits of costing less on a per-tag basis and avoiding dual infrastructure (HF for item-level, UHF for case- and pallet-level).

RFID chip manufacturer and UHF proponent Impinj took the lead in the debate in February when it released new tag antenna designs based on “near field” UHF to demonstrate that the conventional wisdom — UHF cannot be used around metal and liquid — was mistaken. In March, RFID solutions provider ODIN technologies fanned the flames by releasing a benchmark which asserted HF as the appropriate choice for item-level tagging of pharmaceuticals. This assertion notwithstanding, the pro-UHF vendors with Impinj at the helm campaigned to make their case all year long via webinars, white papers, and live demonstrations.

Ultimately, little public response came from the HF camp, and Impinj et al. seem to have made major progress. Last month, pharmaceutical packaging giant O-I demonstrated an RFID-integrated packaging solution for item-level pharmaceutical tagging that can use either UHF or HF technology. A year ago UHF probably would not have been an option. Furthermore, O-I’s demo showed UHF to perform much faster than HF on an apples-to-apples comparison. While O-I did not explicitly endorse UHF, the highly publicized demo seemed like a not-so-subtle hint by the company about which technology choice is preferable.

Unless the HF camp actively shores up support and levels a major pushback, and assuming innovation around near field UHF continues, UHF will continue turning heads and changing minds in 2007. Whichever technology “wins”, the hope is that the debate settles soon; some analysts are concerned that it is confusing end users and putting them off from adopting the technology.

Related articles:

• Major RFID Innovation for Pharma Item-Level Tagging
• Vue Brings UHF Item-Level RFID to Pharmacies
• RFID Vendors Unite Behind Item-Level UHF
• Report: Both HF and UHF RFID Will Exist at Item Level
• Report: HF Wins First Round of RFID Frequency Battle
• Tagsys Releases Gen2 Tags for Item Level
• Impinj Launches UHF Tech for Item-Level Tags

#5 – Item-Level Surprise
Impinj CEO Dr. William Colleran told RFID Update early this year that the reason his company began experimenting with near field UHF was because it was seeing unanticipated demand for item-level tagging. “If you had asked me six months ago when item-level tagging would take off,” he said, “I probably would have said sometime in late 2007. But this item-level tagging thing is starting to happen now, starting to take on a life of its own.”

Indeed, the rise in item-level tagging has been one of the pleasant surprises of 2006, an area where RFID adoption has actually exceeded, instead of disappointed, expectations. Many had predicted that it wouldn’t occur in meaningful volume until at least 2008. But industries like apparel, consumer electronics, and pharmaceuticals have become eager to track and trace their goods, which are often high value, high volume, and targets of theft or counterfeit. In the Netherlands, the world’s first fully item-level tagged store opened in April. Every single book at Boekhandels Groep Nederland’s SmartStore in the city of Almere has an RFID tag attached.

Standards organization EPCglobal responded to the trend by hosting an event in March where 23 vendors demonstrated their proposed technological solutions for item-level tagging. As a result of the event, two new item-level standards groups were formed within EPCglobal, one for UHF, the other for HF.

The industry is still a long way from a commercially available five-cent tag, the milestone many thought would catalyze item-level tagging. But at least item-level tagging as a concept has already been embraced by a few industries, which, as they expand their adoption, will spur tag prices to fall and other industries to follow suit.

Related articles:

• Marks & Spencer to Expand RFID Item Tagging
• Bookstore Item-Level RFID Tagging Boosts Sales
• VDC: Pharma Item-Level RFID to Set Precedent
• New RFID Standard Groups at EPCglobal
• First RFID Item-Level Tagged Store Opens
• RFID at the Item — For Some, Sooner Than Later
• EPCglobal Tracks Item-Level RFID
• EPCglobal to Compare Item-Level Solutions

#4 – The Great IPO that Wasn’t
Alien Technology, a provider of RFID products and services and one of the names most closely associated with the supply chain RFID opportunity, in April filed to go public on the NASDAQ. With ticker symbol RFID, Silicon Valley-based Alien was going to be the first pure-play, publicly-traded RFID company. It was an exciting prospect for the entire industry, as it suggested that RFID “had arrived.” Furthermore, it promised to raise the industry’s profile, offering both institutional and lay investors a vehicle by which to participate in the growing RFID market.

Alas, a number of factors worked against a welcome embrace by Wall Street. The company’s fundamentals were less than stellar. Its S-1 filing revealed that the company did only $20 million in sales in 2005, more than half of which came from services, a revenue stream far less scalable and ultimately less profitable than the manufacture of tags and readers. Furthermore, the overall climate for new public offerings was sour; a number of other companies pulled their IPOs within weeks of when Alien did, on August 4th.

In the weeks following, rumors ran rampant of layoffs, a company sell-off, and even bankruptcy. Fast forward four months, however, and the company seems to have hunkered down and put the episode behind it. In October, Alien announced the long-awaited opening of its Fargo, North Dakota-based tag manufacturing plant as well as the introduction of its Gen2 chip product. And just this week, it announced a $10 million venture in Korea to position it for RFID demand across Asia.

Related articles:

• Alien Opens RFID Tag Plant, Releases Gen2 Chip
• IPOs in RFID: If Not Alien, Then Who?
• Alien IPO Filing “Imminent”
• Alien Worth $577 Million

source [RFIDUpdate] 2006.12.20

Top 10 RFID Trends of 2006, Part 1

#10 – RFID and the Citizen: Passports, Privacy, and Politics
There were a number of developments in 2006 that related to the coexistence of RFID and the public. E-passports, which offer contactless reading and enhanced anti-counterfeiting, became a reality. Dozens of countries around the world began issuing them, heralding a switch from paper-only passports to ones that rely on RFID. Lawmakers took an increased interest in the technology, the most notable examples being the European Commission’s initiative to develop RFID public policy and the (ultimately vetoed) bill in California that sought to restrict RFID use in government-issued identification documents. Finally, privacy continued to be an issue this year, though seemingly less so than in 2005 when Katherine Albrecht released her anti-RFID book Spychips. Perhaps the decreased controversy was also due to the industry’s more proactive engagement of the issue, as companies like IBM, RFIDsec, and SmartCode released tag products designed specially to protect consumer privacy. Here’s hoping that trend continues in 2007 and beyond.

Related articles:

• Pro-Privacy Tearable RFID Tag Becomes a Reality
• California RFID Restrictions Get Governor’s Veto
• Europe Seeks Public Opinion on RFID Policy
• Tag Balances Privacy and Retailer Interests
• US Government Issues 300 RFID Passports

#9 – RFID Pseudo-Scares
RFID became the favorite target of computer security academics, professionals, and hackers alike, as they very publicly asserted grave security vulnerabilities in the technology. First, there was the study by researchers at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam that concluded ubiquitous RFID might facilitate the spread of malicious viruses and worms. After lots of spilled ink and hand-wringing, this threat was found to be wildly exaggerated, relying as it did on systems implementers to neglect the most basic security precautions that have been in practice for years. Then there was the e-passport cloning hubbub, which turned out to be just that. The author of the “hack” hyped the ability to copy the data of an e-passport RFID chip onto a second, separate RFID chip, and the mainstream technology press fell for it. For a variety of reasons, the fact that an e-passport chip can be copied does not mean a hacker can trivially integrate the duplicated information into a phony passport and use it as his own.

The unfortunate outcome of both these events was that RFID’s reputation as a secure technology was sullied. The silver lining was that the industry had to take a hard look at its technology to verify that in fact it was secure. Going forward, the industry’s focus on security will be heightened, and that’s a good thing for everyone.

Related articles:

• New RFID Passport Scare — Does it Matter?
• The Industry Reacts to RFID Virus Research
• Study: RFID Vulnerable to Viruses and Worms

#8 – Cover Your Assets
As return-on-investment stubbornly eluded end users under customer mandate, many got creative with RFID by seeking ROI from non-compliance applications. The most common was closed-loop asset tracking, in which RFID is used to better track, manage, and utilize assets within a company’s own four walls. Asset tracking provided a much-needed revenue stream for some passive RFID vendors, however it will likely only be a stopgap niche; these vendors still require the widespread adoption of supply chain RFID to survive and thrive in the long term. Furthermore, it has proven difficult to quantify just how large (or small) the asset-tracking opportunity is, since the applications are so diverse and particular to individual end users’ processes.

The focus on asset tracking also opened end users’ eyes to the full gamut of available technologies, beyond just the passive RFID required by mandates. Vendors of active RFID and real-time locating systems (RTLS) benefited as they landed business in the healthcare, logistics, and manufacturing industries. RTLS saw a further boost as G2 Microsystems introduced a new chip that brought down the price, energy consumption, and form factor of tags. These positive developments did not go unnoticed by investors, who bought equity in firms like RF Code, Ekahau, and Ubisense. Also, by far the biggest deal of the year was juggernaut defense contractor Lockheed Martin’s acquisition of active RFID leader Savi Technology for a cool $425 million.

Related articles:

• RTLS Provider Ekahau Secures $16m to Fund Growth
• Active RFID Provider RF Code Nails $30m Deal
• Smaller, Cheaper, Longer-Lasting RTLS Tags Hit Market
• New Chip Could Transform Active RFID Market
• Lockheed Martin to Buy Active RFID Leader Savi
• RTLS Provider Ubisense Lands $3m Funding
• Report: RTLS Market Worth $2.7b in 2016
• Report: Active RFID Market $6.78b in 2016

#7 – Perennial Favorites: Wal-Mart and the DoD
It was the mandates by Wal-Mart and the US Department of Defense that in 2003 veritably birthed the RFID industry as it exists today. However, neither created the expected market boom. Wal-Mart suppliers purchased the bare minimum amount of RFID products and services to comply, while the DoD mandate got off to a slow start.

Despite the disappointment, both mandates continued in 2007 to be two important — arguably the most important — drivers of the industry. Wal-Mart reiterated its commitment to the technology even as Rollin Ford replaced RFID visionary Linda Dillman as CIO. The company reinforced words with action in September when it announced plans to expand the RFID footprint to an additional 500 locations before the end of next month. And in recent weeks, there have been rumblings that the company may widen its mandate to include even more suppliers for 2008.

For its part, the DoD mandate took a major step forward as ODIN technologies equipped 69 facilities in the continental US with RFID. With an infrastructure now in place, RFID tagging by suppliers is expected to accelerate.

Related articles:

• Wal-Mart to Expand RFID Rollout by 500 Locations
• Wal-Mart RFID Initiative to “Continue Unabated”
• RFID Visionary No Longer CIO at Wal-Mart
• RFID Deployment at DoD Completes First Phase
• ODIN Wins $7m RFID Contract from DoD

source [RFIDUpdate] 2006.12.18

“Paper Battery” for use with RFID

Nearly a year after NEC rolled out its paper-thin ORB batteries, Korean battery manufacturer Rocket is launching (ahem) its own uber-thin battery. While juicy, scientific details aren’t readily available, we do know that the “paper battery” won’t include any toxic chemicals, is “flexible and thin,” and molds together the companies “thin film technologies” with its battery knowledge. The company hopes to entice heavy RFID users, smart card manufacturers, and “cosmetic / drug delivery system” providers to utilize the paper battery in powering the already-miniscule devices. Oddly, Rocket also envisions its new creation being used in “teeth whitening, anti-aging, and wrinkle care,” though we’re not exactly sure how electrifying a tooth will brighten your smile. Nevertheless, the company hopes to have its newfangled power source attached to crates and body parts real soon, and confidently assures us that it “doesn’t cause explosions or fires.” Phew.

Rocket – Korean battery manufacturer

source [engadget]

電子現金捲土重來 悠遊錢包能否再現商機？

現代人講求方便快速，為省去小額交易時掏錢找零的麻煩，利用已預先儲值過的IC智慧卡來付款，是個不錯的方法，而台灣也約於2000年左右，開始有業者提供此類服務。

當時，萬事達卡國際組織與宏碁及部分銀行業者合作推出的Mondex電子現金卡，在社會上掀起一股儲值支付的熱潮，只可惜雷聲大雨點小，經過多年努力後，仍舊無法打開市場接受度。

不過，自從悠遊信用卡於2006年7月正式上路以後，電子錢包議題似乎又再度興起，為了吸引民眾辦卡，4大發卡行均考慮在其上附加悠遊錢包功能，期能藉此掀起無現金支付的浪潮，其中，台新銀行預計將於年底正式開通服務。

悠遊錢包的交易模式如同近1年來推出的非接觸式信用卡，台新銀行金流產品事業處經理曾煥欽表示，收銀員仍舊在POS機上輸入交易金額，並選擇電子現金的付 款方式，然後POS機便會將金額傳送到EDC刷卡機上，並同步呈現在面對消費者的讀卡機顯示螢幕上，消費者只要確認金額無誤後，便可拿出悠遊信用卡進行感 應，此時，收銀員則需在EDC刷卡機上按下確認鍵，讓交易資訊立即傳回POS機，並產生發票。

至於儲值方式則以信用卡為主，也就是說，每次交易時，若悠遊錢包內的金額低於0，系統便會啟動晶片內的信用卡程式，自動儲值500元至悠遊錢包內（銀行業者可透過晶片程式內的參數設定該筆金額的高低），並將此筆交易列在持卡人當月的信用卡帳單中。

未來，悠遊錢包能否取代現金，成為小額交易的主要付款選擇，除了消費者的市場接受度之外，企業對員工的教育訓練，及是否願意進行相關軟硬體投資都是不可或缺的關鍵因素。

source [digitimes] 2006.09.19

酒吧導入RFID 飲料管控電子化

在忙碌的星期六夜晚，一位優秀的酒保可以讓酒吧老闆大賺其錢，但是過於好客的酒保，或是喜歡請朋友免費喝酒的酒保，則可能讓老闆虧錢。

一家飲料監控軟體公司從RFID獲得了靈感，並且開始銷售一種附加在酒瓶上的角度開關(tilt switch)，每次當瓶子倒出時，就會對網際網路的資料庫進行更新。據稱Hilton、Hyatt、Outback Steakhouse、TGI Fridays與其他飯店業者正在測試這套系統。

它不僅記錄瓶子倒出多少次，同時還考量瓶子的傾斜度、倒出的時間，以及酒保的倒出方式，以計算瓶子還剩多少液體。

這套軟體會將傾斜度轉換成估計量，而且這項轉換是根據每個瓶子的記錄來考量，因此隨著時間經過會更精確，而且能配合每一位酒保的習慣。當瓶子空了時，感應器就會知道，然後就會重新調整每個瓶子的記錄倒出量。

因為伺服器會觀察這個傾斜度追蹤 RFID 系統，同時也會追蹤POS (point-of-sale)系統，它也可以知道酒保用來調酒的原料，以及他們是否有遵循批准的配方，還有是否倒得太多或太少。

該公司預期這些感應器的銷售價格可能不到2美元，附帶安裝、附加方式、開關、傾斜開關、TI micro、五年電池與RF電路。目前，加上訂用費用的話大概將近5美元，大約相當於營收的1%。

藉由部署成熟的主動式RFI標籤到每一個瓶子上，將可改變服務業的現狀。這套系統會配合存貨協調採購訂單，而且感應器會每個小時偵測，因此能自動更新庫 存。當瓶子送達酒吧時，該系統就會透過接受器定位知道它的位置。當瓶子傾斜時，庫存就會減少數量與價值。當飲料清空時，它就會重算倒出量。如果沒有登記付 款的話，開啟數量就會警告。當瓶子清空時，它就會自動建立採購訂單。

雖然這套系統的讀取器的距離大約為50英呎，但是酒保可別想在感應器的距離之外倒飲料，或是乾脆關閉感應器來欺騙系統，因為所有的標籤都會定期與伺服器聯繫。

分析師認為這套系統的構想的確很有趣，但是在瓶子上繫上無線環是否會嚇跑客戶，或是讓酒保與酒客的關係變差，都是有待觀察的重點。

source [cpro] 2006.07.13

世界杯高科技逐一盤點

這是足球史上高科技含量最高的國際賽事，不但每張門票內置晶片防恐，就連每場比賽的那顆專用足球，也差點植入無線晶片……。 四年一度的世界杯絕對是全球盛大節日，瞬息萬變的足球場總是扣人心弦。而在這備受矚目的世界杯足球場上，不僅僅是球隊競技的絕佳舞台，更是大量新技術應用的平台。

2006年德國世界杯目前正在慕尼黑如火如荼進行，與以往的賽事相比，今年世界杯的最大亮點是高科技瀰漫著整個世界杯賽場，從賽內的指定用球「團隊之星」、帶晶片的門票，到賽外的流動指紋鑑別系統等，這些改變說明了今年的足球比賽卻有著不一樣的技術特色。

這大大的變化要從小小晶片開始說起，它的名字是無線射頻辨識系統（Radiofrequencyidentification，RFID）。這個原本用於零售業取代商品條形碼的電子標籤，如今卻在世界杯大放異彩。

世界杯總共64場比賽的超過350萬張門票在出售時都被嵌入了具有鑑別訊息的RFID晶片，這使得球迷在通過所有12個主辦體育場的入口時，他們的訊息都能迅速地在數據庫中被檢測到。

智能足球臨時剎車

美中不足的是，植入RFID晶片的「智能足球」在最後一分鐘剎車，不會在本屆世界杯的「團隊之星」專用球上使用。國際足聯是去年底宣布了這一決定。

由德國公司Cairos、阿迪達斯公司以及一家體育運動實驗室Fraunhofer開發的跟蹤系統，並使用內嵌RFID晶片的足球，能夠發送每秒2000 次2.4G訊號，安裝在球場內的12台跟蹤設備可在300米外捕捉訊號，以判斷足球是否越過球門線，結果可在一秒內返回裁判員腕表中。

該系統在去年17歲以下世界杯進行測試，最終國際足聯認為技術尚未就緒而放棄了這一方案。

場內場外科技反恐

主辦這個地球上最讓人垂涎欲滴的體育賽事，令德國上下一片歡騰，然而與此同時，他們也害怕大賽期間出現差錯。因此，反恐工作無疑成為這次世界杯工作中的重中之重。

毫無疑問，安全措施是德國政府首先需要考慮的問題，這甚至超過了他們希望看到國家隊奪得2006世界杯的願望。目前出台的一系列安全措施無一不凸顯出本屆世界杯對資訊科技的關注程度。

高科技一：門票內嵌識別晶片

每一個購票者被要求提供詳細的個人資料，包括名字、住址、出生日期、國籍和身份證或護照號碼。但世界杯組委會（FIFA）宣稱門票內嵌晶片只存儲訪問訊息，姓名等個人訊息並不包括在內。

這個採用飛利浦MIFAREDESFire智能晶片，能夠幫助主辦單位有效地調度實時系統數據，例如，當監測到大量球迷湧向某個入口時，可以立即向該區域增派保安人員。

高科技二：體育場特殊攝像機

舉行比賽的各個體育場都設置了特殊的攝像機，能夠記錄可疑人物的臉部特徵。錄像拍攝的連續鏡頭可以立刻與儲存在數據庫中的照片進行對比檢測。

這個數據庫是由一批工作人員，在接收上千條來自世界杯參賽國有關當局發來的內部情報後建立的，這個數據庫包括了6千名已警方知曉，且被認為會造成直接威脅的足球流氓訊息。

位於柏林的德國內政部裡面，是德國實施安全措施的「神經」中心。該中心有120名工作人員，配備了電腦和監控屏幕，能夠隨時監控體育場的周邊環境。

高科技三：流動指紋鑑別系統

超過3萬名警察在世界杯期間執勤，其中一部分配備了「快速鑑別」流動指紋設備。警察將可疑人物的指紋訊息獲取之後，德國聯邦情報部的中央數據庫將立刻對指紋訊息進行配對和鑑別，讓恐怖分子無所遁形。

電腦推算預測巴西奪冠

現在甚至連數學和軟件都能證明，巴西是本屆世界杯奪標大熱門。

英國的《觀察報》上月報導，根據預測專家「決定科技」公司的預測，以羅納爾迪尼奧為首的巴西隊是最有可能拿下本屆世界杯冠軍的國家，其次依序為法國、主辦國德國、荷蘭，英國則排名第九。

據報導指出，「決定科技」的電腦研究了4千500場200多國自2002年以來的參賽結果，提出一份初賽階段的預測。

該公司主任史托特說：「我們的模型技術以最大概似法加上或然率分析，預測賽事結果。」「決定科技」預測的英超結果正確率高達60％，比其他預測的正確率高。

《觀察報》說，史托特與他的團隊深信推測結果，甚至下注了九萬美元，押巴西隊奪冠。

與此同時，迪拜美國大學兩名學生日前研發出一套人工智能分析軟件。據該軟件分析，2006年的世界杯總決賽將在巴西和意大利兩隊間進行，而巴西隊最終奪冠。

據外電報導，該軟件被稱為「FifaIntelligence」，準確率高達83％，可以精確到小數點後三位。該軟件融入了每支球隊在過去20多年間的各項數據。

該軟件預測，最終打入半決賽的四支球隊分別是荷蘭、意大利、英格蘭和巴西。而進入決賽的將是巴西和意大利，並且巴西是最後奪冠。至於結果是否真如其所料般，很快就能知道了。

球賽直播幕後技術功臣

這是一項規模龐大的體育賽事的挑戰，一個龐大的融合通訊網絡必須建立起來，讓傳送至世界各地的直播實況不會突然中斷播出。

新聞記者和攝影師也能在第一時間內把新聞和照片在數秒內，透過無線傳輸給世界各地的讀者。因此，這個世界最大的融合語音及數據網絡必須是絕對可靠。

回顧第一屆世界杯的參賽國家只有41個，如今這個地球上最受到矚目的賽事已經擴大到全球超過200個國家，國際足聯在通訊技術上的應用也有了進步，向全球大約三分之一的人口提供實時賽況直播需要一個容量龐大、性能卓越而複雜的通訊網絡不可。

全實時通訊第一次產生

2002年時，當日本和韓國聯辦世界杯決賽圈的時候，與競賽同步和全實時通訊第一次產生。當時連續31天比賽之後，性能統計數據顯示了國際足聯融合網絡一共傳輸了12TB（96兆字節）的數據、300萬次的電話呼叫——這是全球財富500強企業平均流量的5倍。

上屆世界杯也是首次實現球場外高速無線互聯網連接的賽會，並且第一次採用了許多之前未使用過的技術，包括互聯網協定語音通訊、無線局域網、融合語音及數據、互聯網協定軟件電話以及通過以太網連接支持的互聯網協定硬體電話等等。

最大規模融合通訊網絡

自從上屆日本韓國世界杯足球賽起，作為國際足聯合作夥伴的Avaya科技公司，已經為國際足聯協助全球累積人數達300億人次觀賞精彩的足球賽。

今年世界杯賽事中，Avaya繼續負責設計、部署和管理跨越德國境內12個足球場的融合語音及數據基礎設施，使它成為有史以來為體育賽事興建的最大規模融合通訊網絡。

此外，今年國際足聯網絡內的全部關鍵組件都採用雙倍設計，以確保系統的正常運行，即使是在停電期間，也不受影響。

裁判順應科技潮流

為避免因一些角度問題而發生進球爭議，本屆世界杯裁判也要順應高科技潮流，以保證每個判決的準確性及公正性。

●戴上了對講機

為了方便當值邊裁、主裁判以及工作人員之間的溝通，主裁判帶上了類似於主持人耳麥的設備。主裁判可以直接和工作人員以及技術顧問進行交流，省去了來回奔跑時間。

●手錶兩種秒錶

這次世界杯，裁判員佩戴專用手錶，其表盤上下配有兩種秒錶。當比賽中斷時，上面的秒錶停止計時，下面的秒錶則將持續運轉，這樣，裁判員可以通過上、下秒錶的時間差估算補時時間。

●無線感應邊旗

助理裁判可以判定前鋒隊員是否越位，在以前的比賽中，助理裁判通過舉邊旗表示。可有的時候助理裁判舉起邊旗時，裁判沒有注意而造成判決遺漏。新的技術在邊旗上安置了電鈕，並通過無線電與主裁判的手錶相連接，只要邊旗舉起，主裁判的手錶就會產生相應的振動。

source post [RFID世界網] 2006-6-26

飛利浦RFID 在世界盃挖到金

世足賽商機真是無所不在！全球最大的足球錦標賽二○○六年FIF A世界盃足球賽，引爆德國觀光、內需商機，也帶動體育行銷熱潮。雖然在龐大消費群關注精彩賽事之際，意外造成消費延遲，致使引發資訊、消費性電子產品庫存 問題。不過FIFA與飛利浦電子攜手合作提供的MIFARE票證技術，將RFID技術應用於全球性賽事的體育場管理，讓飛利浦不僅看到、更實際吃到世足賽 商機。世界盃足球賽的共有三十二支國家代表隊出賽，比賽將在十二個球場輪番上陣。在整個賽期內，從慕尼黑的安聯體育場到萊比錫的中央體育場，都將採用飛利浦的票證技術，確保球迷能安全方便地進入球場，同時也證明RFID技術相當適合應用於全球性賽事的體育場管理。

飛 利浦指出，當球迷抵達球場入口處時，只需將具內建晶片的紙質門票通過掃描識別，便能快速安全的入場。此外，新的識別技術還可遏止黃牛行為以及偽造門票。三 百二十萬張全部採用RFID技術的門票，將確保門票真正的持有人才可入場。飛利浦的MIFARE智慧卡技術具有可靠的安全特性，一旦門票遺失、失竊或遭到 黃牛販賣，就會無法使用。門禁技術可以識別每一張門票，追溯合法持有者的身份，只有真正的合法持有者才能進入世界盃比賽會場。

二○○六 FIFA世界盃組委會資深副總裁 Horst．R．Schmidt表示，飛利浦MIFARE技術能有效解決如門票偽造或誤發門票給禁止入場者等門票發售的問題。如果門票於開賽前遺失或遭竊，該技術能即時取消原票，並發配新票於合法持有者。

利 用RFID技術不僅方便體育場管理，對於消費者而言也有便利、快捷的好處。飛利浦半導體執行副總裁兼總經理 Marc de Jong指出，世界盃門票系統採用飛利浦 MIFARE技術，消費者可使用手中的RFID 門票付款、進入比賽會場，還可用於如停車、寄放物品、搭乘大眾運輸系統、購買飲料及各種其他商品等加值服務。

廠商說明，MIFARE非接觸式門票技術符合ISO 14443非接觸式智慧卡與讀卡機國際標準，目前全球以MIFARE為基礎的卡發售量超過六億張，讀卡機安裝數也超過五百萬台，使得MIFARE已成為非接觸介面技術的產業標準。

source post [工商時報] 206.06.19

RFID植入人孔蓋 大陸防竊有一套

中國大陸的官員打算利用 RFID 來阻止下水道人孔蓋的失竊案件。該國政府將會把北京大約1,000個下水道人孔蓋貼上標籤。這些標籤將會儲存有關公用設施的資料，以讓公用設施人員與其他帶著讀取器的人員能夠找到失蹤的人孔蓋。

中國大陸街道每年有高達24,000個下水道人孔蓋消失不見。有鑑於此，惠普（HP）等公司開發軟體讓RFID能脫離實驗階段，成為打擊犯罪的工具。

失蹤的人孔蓋將會對駕駛造成危險，引發意外以及車輛受損。竊賊則是將這些人孔蓋當作廢鐵賣出。

source post [cpro 資傳網]