RFID Tracking

Could RFID in Airports Help Keep Stolen Passports off Flight 370

I have been sitting here for a few days mulling over this post. To write it or not to write it but I have to flush it out and put it out in a public forum for debate. I don’t have the answer and hopefully we can come up with one together. With all due respect for family members that are currently lost on Malaysia Airline Flight #370, I hope they find closure or some answers soon.

I would like to discuss if RFID tags at the airport and could they have helped prevent what some are reporting that 2 of the passports were stolen. Could RFID tags help prevent the 2 stolen passports from ever being used. Here in the USA the first RFID passports was in 2005.

RFID has been in passports since the late 1990’s. Kind of ironic that the first RFID issued passport was actually issued in Malaysia way back in 1998.

RFID passports arrive for Americans – CNET News

By Anne Broache Staff Writer, CNET News

We already have RFID on the luggage tags and in the passport itself. There has to be a way for the passengers to go through a scanner where the passport would pass through and connect with the database at Interpool. I can already hear the security pundits talking about their rights and stuff but since we are going through a security line we might as well be as secure as possible.

Somewhere along the line these two passports were checked with human eyes and I think that isn’t enough. The price of RFID has declined so much since 1998 that installing a few RFID machines to walk through is pennies on the dollar compared to what it use to be.

In my home airport of JFK passengers have to wait in line and show ID before going through the machines that check us for weapons or fluid. It makes sense to install something in between this or adjust the X-ray machines to read RFID. Maybe they already do?

I hope we hear some good news regarding the missing plane soon.

DEVELOPING: Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Still Missing at NYCAviation

Malaysia Airlines has lost contact with a 777-200 flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, carrying 239 people.

Can RFID Save on In Store Order Fulfillment

I was just reading an interesting article on RFID and the way that retail stores can use it for order fulfillment. Using Gen 2 RFID tags stores like Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s can make their retail stores into local shipping departments and save money on shipping.

Of course asking Macy’s suppliers to start using RFID tags on items can and will be a challenge that I can see. It does make a lot of sense for the stores to start implementing this practice on a global scale. It solves the problem of items being out of stock on store shelves and would cut down on a lot of the items that lets just say get shoplifted by store employees.

Of course this isn’t going to come cheap as companies will have to buy handheld scanners to have throughout their stores and their warehouses and teach employees how to use it properly.

The article on Software advice brought up a few good points but I can’t say I agree with having to hire new personal that will make higher wages because they are being trained on RFID handheld devices. I think it will just come into being the normal working conditions and become part of the workflow. If RFID will save them having to restock items the employes will be all for it, Or filling up shelves that already have a ton of the product and putting it side by side with excessive inventory. No worker likes doing that type of work.
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Tracking Small Birds Using RFID

I love when I see RFID used in places that I haven’t seen before. Today when I got the email from the Cornell lab of Ornithology I was taken back as they showed their tracking of small feeder birds using RFID. The data that they are collecting will help many birds down the road as we can discover feeding habits during each season and compare to how they eat. The video will explain in more details and show how they are using RFID tags on birds. It is very informative and if you like the outdoors like me you are in for a treat.

To see more information visit Birds.cornell.edu for details on their program.

Disney Uses RFID for Refillable Mugs

Will Disney use RFID chips to save money? One of the greatest debates among those looking for Disney deals revolves around refillable mugs at the Walt Disney World Resorts. Disney sells these mugs with the stipulation that you can only use them for the length of your stay. However, many people purchase them once and then bring them back year after year to continue to fill them for free. Disney has tried changing the mug graphics more frequently but visitors continue to use the old mugs.

No matter where visitors stand on the refillable mug debate, Disney is taking a definite stand by employing the use of RFID to limit refills. According to DIS Unplugged, Disney is testing new technology at its All Start Sports Resort. Drink dispensers will only dispense drinks into cups that have the appropriate RFID chips embedded. Single use cups will be timed for meal time and the refillable mugs will be timed for the length of stay at the resort of the purchaser. The technology is provided by ValidFill.

Over the last several years, Disney has been ramping up the use of RFID both in the parks and on their cruise ships. The new Disney Dream ship uses RFID in the room keys to allow visitors to tap a box on their doors to open them. They can also tap their keys when they have their pictures taken by cruise photographers to have them added to their room accounts. At Disneyland, RFID chips are being sewn into Cast Member costumes to allow for quicker changes and inventorying. Rumors continue to circulate about RFID being used in the coming years in the Disney World parks to better customize the visitor experience at attractions and rides.

Whether Disney is using RFID to cut costs, increase behind-the-scenes efficiency, or provide vacationers with a better trip, it apparent that Disney is getting both creative and aggressive with the RFID technology.

RFID Saved the Bellagio Casino Millions

So by now I am all sure that you have heard about the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas getting robbed for millions of dollars. I couldn’t help but laugh when I first heard it as I knew the chips the guy stole are practically worthless. Besides being tracked with RFID the guy took $25000 chips that require an ID to cash out for federal tax purposes.

I am sure there is alarms set up in the casino for anyone cashing in the chips with the RFID tracking codes in them. He may try to cash in some of the lower denominations but as soon as those chips pass through the cashiers window security will be alerted and he will be arrested on the spot.

I am sure that the bank robber had never heard of RFID or he wouldn’t have chosen the Bellagio casino in the first place. What this has done is forced the hand of every casino in the country to look into spending for RFID. You can safely bet that insurance companies will be forcing the rest of the casinos to adopt to radio frequency identification chips in the near future.

So now we all know that the Bellagio is insured in case of robbery but since the thief will never get a dime the insurance companies will not have to pay a dime. I am not an authority on the types of chips the Bellagio uses but its safe to say they will probably be changing designs on new chips so the old ones that were in the robbery stand out more.

If you think about it the robbery suspect did what a lot of people do in Las Vegas, Go home empty handed.