Tageos brought a message of sustainability, new engineering and partnerships to RFID Journal LIVE in Las Vegas last week. The company has launched offerings to help companies engineer solutions for unique use cases. Updating antenna designs and material substrates, Tageos is providing new products aimed at a more sustainable solution for companies tracking goods and assets with RFID. The company is responding to increased demand from companies and consumers for greater sustainability in the products they use. For Tageos, that means taking responsibility for making its RFID inlays and ..read more

  ProMach sees the addition of Etiflex continues the expansion of their label-converting capabilities. Etiflex staffers will become part of ProMach’s Labeling & Coding business line, ProMach is expanding its North American footprint. The Cincinnati-based company announced on April 22 it has acquired Mexican pressure-sensitive and RFID labels producer Etiflex. This move marks ProMach’s first foray into the Mexican market and bolsters its labelling and coding capabilities across North America. Headquartered in Mexico City, Etiflex is one of the largest converters for variable inf ..read more

Global service bureau FineLine has expanded its Missouri facility to meet the needs of consumer product manufacturers who are new to RFID and demand a variety of label types and support. The expanded facility opened for business in February, and offers labels and support as companies meet RFID tag requirements for the first time. A wide variety of products—from car parts to toys—are being tagged with UHF RFID labels. And FineLine’s 25,000 square foot production site expansion in Missouri is aimed at serving this growing demand. As many consumer product goods (CPG) companies confront RFID tag ..read more

Aesculap launches an RTLS solution for Sterile Processing   Sterile containers for healthcare company Aesculap, Inc. has released a new real-time location system (RTLS) known as Aesculap Aicon RTLS, which works with the company’s existing Aesculap Aicon Sterile Container System to improve the efficiency of Sterile Processing Departments (SPD). The company displayed the new technology at the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) conference April 21-23 in Las Vegas, NV. The RTLS system is designed for use in operating rooms to manage each step of the surgical instrument reprocess ..read more

  The issue is Apple’s tap-and-go NFC technology allowing for contactless payments with mobile wallets An agreement with European Commission could come as early as May Reports have Apple inching closer to allowing other smart phones to use their near-field communication (NFC) technology. A Reuters story last week stated the iPhone maker finalizing its offer to open its tap-and-go mobile payments system to rivals for the next 10 year that could be approved by European  Union (EU) antitrust regulators as soon as next month. At issue is Apple’s tap-and-go NFC technology allowing for c ..read more

  University of Georgia’s poultry science researchers find RFID can capture and categorize chicken activity with at least 87 percent accuracy. The data from the RFID technology study finds activity levels of chickens have some effect on health, while more research is pending. While RFID technology is commonly used to identify and manage cattle, as well as some sheep and pigs, tracking chickens has been more challenging. Chickens are smaller, lower value, and reared in significantly higher numbers than larger livestock. However, academic research is finding benefits for RFID in managing ..read more

Key Takeaways The  LoRa Alliance offers a guide to its future evolution and direction Alliance members noted smart metering is one key market where LoRaWAN has established a market-leading position If you want to know the future of the LoRa Alliance, they are providing a map. The alliance, a global association of companies backing the open LoRaWAN standard for the internet of things (IoT) low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs), recently launched its formal roadmap that highlights LoRaWAN’s evolution from building and interconnecting networks through its focus on making the ..read more

  RAIN Alliance report finds that corporations have work to do to leverage their RFID solutions to boost sustainability efforts. The alliance plans to offer education and support as key to help companies use their technology to meet UN sustainability goals. UHF RAIN RFID use can help many companies achieve sustainability goals, but a disconnect between sustainability departments, and the RFID teams, means that few are taking advantage of that fact. That is the conclusion of a the RAIN Alliance’s “Bridging the Gap, Connecting Corporate Sustainability with RAIN RFID” report released this ..read more

MachineQ has partnered with Spotta to detect the presence of bedbugs in guest bed mattresses with LoRaWAN connectivity, AI analysis Hotel bedbug infestation is on the rise worldwide. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these blood-thirsty insects are resurging where people sleep—including apartments, dorms and single-family homes. In fact, efforts to address bedbugs have reportedly cost hotels in the U.S. $111,000 per hotel brand. Detecting one of these bugs that typically hide in the ribbing of the mattress corner is not only disturbing for hotel guests, but it’s ..read more

By Dec. 1, federal agencies will have to detail their uses of AI The Biden Administration is requiring federal agencies using artificial intelligence (AI) to adopt “concrete safeguards” by Dec. 1 as the federal government expands its use in a wide range of applications. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directive to federal agencies to monitor, assess and test AI’s impacts “on the public, mitigate the risks of algorithmic discrimination, and provide the public with transparency into how the government uses AI,” according to a report from Reuters. Agencies must conduct risk assessments ..read more