STRATEGIC PARTNERS
March 21, 2002
FMI Microelectronics, a subsidiary of Sat Con Technology, has developed a low-cost version of a radio frequency identification card (RFID) which FMI expects to sell for about 25 percent less than current methods.
FMI is now negotiating with several manufacturers to produce the 125kHz category card.
The RF identification tags are similar to e the white ID pads attached to CDs and other items in stores that relay a signal to an electronic reader somewhere near the door if the item has been taken out of the store without being purchased. The cards are like the ones used for access control into apartments, office buildings, hotel rooms, and parking lots, but can also be made into the size of a postage stamp.
The same process can be used to make picture identification cards, smart credit cards, and security access tags that could fit on a key chain.
RFID systems could allow users to tag and track items, such as consumer products on store shelves, product movement throughout a factory, finished inventory in a distribution center, livestock, or anything that needs to be identified, counted and/or tracked.
FMI believes the tags carry the capability to eliminate optical scanners and bar codes so that goods can be purchased with minimal handling by store personnel. They also have the potential to be converted into use for credit cards, health history cards, and personal data cards.
