Seiko Precision Introduces Hybrid RFID Tags

Seiko Precision, Inc. is going to introduce "hybrid RFID tags" (SecureTag WT-300). It’s based on the idea of combining an active RFID tag and a passive RFID tag in a single package (and thereby providing dual communication ranges).

The active-tag component provides the communication range of about 50cm, and can be used to track people’s whereabouts in large spaces. The passive-tag component provides a shorter communication range, however, its identification/authentication mechanism is more secure.

It may sound similar to NICT‘s hybrid radio frequency identification system, which they presented at Mobile Response 2007?Workshop last year.

Seiko Precision’s Press Release in Japanese

email problem

I just realized that my email address (konomi@ubiks.net) hasn’t been working for sometime – probably for months. I am very sorry.

My new address is: rfidinjapan [at] gmail.com

Please update your adress book if you need.

happy new year

happy new year !

nanaco availabe all over Japan

Nanaco is yet another RFID emoney system (like Suica and Edy) introduced by Seven Eleven Japan about a month ago. There are already over 1 million Nanaco users. It had been available only in big cities until recently, but, since May 28, all Seven Eleven stores in Japan accept Nanaco payment.

Speaking of cutsiness of digital money, I give Nanaco two thumbs up.

Recycling Consumer Electronics Devices

In 2005, Japanese consumer electronics makers together established so-called Consumer Electronics RFID Consortium. Their aim is to develop usage models and international standards of RFID-based product life cycle management for consumer electronics devices.

@IT has this recent story on the consortium. One of the consortium’s major goals is to improve the process of recycling. For example, refrigerators, which may or may not contain ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbon. By RFID tagging and tracking information about each individual refrigerator, one may easily figure out the right recycling method for it.

In this recycling scenario, however, RFID tags are not removed after purchase. Therefore, there would be much larger privacy concerns than supply-chain or storefront RFID scenarios. I’d think consumers may want to remove and/or kill the tags after purchase, and voluntarily reattach and/or reactivate the tags at the time of disposal.

In sum, privacy-aware recycling would be cool.

Recycling Consumer Electronics Devices

In 2005, Japanese consumer electronics makers together established so-called Consumer Electronics RFID Consortium. Their aim is to develop usage models and international standards of RFID-based product life cycle management for consumer electronics devices.

@IT has this recent story on the consortium. One of the consortium’s major goals is to improve the process of recycling. For example, refrigerators, which may or may not contain ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbon. By RFID tagging and tracking information about each individual refrigerator, one may easily figure out the right recycling method for it.

In this recycling scenario, however, RFID tags are not removed after purchase. Therefore, there would be much larger privacy concerns than supply-chain or storefront RFID scenarios. I’d think consumers may want to remove and/or kill the tags after purchase, and voluntarily reattach and/or reactivate the tags at the time of disposal.

In sum, privacy-aware recycling would be cool.

SuiPo

I saw these RFID-enabled posters for the first time, at JR Shinjuku Station. They are called SuiPo. When passengers show their RFID tickets (SUICA cards) to the posters, they get relevant info/ads on their cell phones.

RFID readers are between the posters.

First time users need to associate their RFID ticket IDs with their mobile phone email addresses, using this kiosk terminal.

RFID Movie Experience

It worked! But, things were a bit different than I thought.

First, I made a seat reservation on the website. Then, I got an SMS message on my phone. When, I clicked the payment link on my phone the system took the money from my mobile phone’s RFID chip (I had to enter my SUICA password in the process). Then I got another SMS message with a 10 digit reservation number.

When I got to the theater complex, I wasn’t quite sure what to do. So, I asked a person at the Information Desk, and she said that I had to get a paper ticket using a kiosk terminal. The kiosk terminal didn’t seem to have an RFID reader, so I had to type in the 10 digit code as well as the website password. Worked! I finally got a familiar ?paper ticket.

Overall, I didn’t think RFID ticketing drastically made the process of going to see a movie easy, in this case. Things could be better. For example, if they had RFID-enabled gates at the theater complex, I could have walked right through into my theater just by presenting my phone to a gate, instead of spending the minute in front of a kiosk terminal. Also, I’d like to use it without making a reservation. I’d like to just walk into whichever theater I want – the system could count the number of the people in the theater and tell which one’s full or not.

RFID Movie Experience

It worked! But, things were a bit different than I thought.

First, I made a seat reservation on the website. Then, I got an SMS message on my phone. When, I clicked the payment link on my phone the system took the money from my mobile phone’s RFID chip (I had to enter my SUICA password in the process). Then I got another SMS message with a 10 digit reservation number.

When I got to the theater complex, I wasn’t quite sure what to do. So, I asked a person at the Information Desk, and she said that I had to get a paper ticket using a kiosk terminal. The kiosk terminal didn’t seem to have an RFID reader, so I had to type in the 10 digit code as well as the website password. Worked! I finally got a familiar ?paper ticket.

Overall, I didn’t think RFID ticketing drastically made the process of going to see a movie easy, in this case. Things could be better. For example, if they had RFID-enabled gates at the theater complex, I could have walked right through into my theater just by presenting my phone to a gate, instead of spending the minute in front of a kiosk terminal. Also, I’d like to use it without making a reservation. I’d like to just walk into whichever theater I want – the system could count the number of the people in the theater and tell which one’s full or not.

RFID Movie Experience

It worked! But, things were a bit different than I thought.

First, I made a seat reservation on the website. Then, I got an SMS message on my phone. When, I clicked the payment link on my phone the system took the money from my mobile phone’s RFID chip (I had to enter my SUICA password in the process). Then I got another SMS message with a 10 digit reservation number.

When I got to the theater complex, I wasn’t quite sure what to do. So, I asked a person at the Information Desk, and she said that I had to get a paper ticket using a kiosk terminal. The kiosk terminal didn’t seem to have an RFID reader, so I had to type in the 10 digit code as well as the website password. Worked! I finally got a familiar ?paper ticket.

Overall, I didn’t think RFID ticketing drastically made the process of going to see a movie easy, in this case. Things could be better. For example, if they had RFID-enabled gates at the theater complex, I could have walked right through into my theater just by presenting my phone to a gate, instead of spending the minute in front of a kiosk terminal. Also, I’d like to use it without making a reservation. I’d like to just walk into whichever theater I want – the system could count the number of the people in the theater and tell which one’s full or not.