Radio frequency identification, or RFID, is everywhere, whether you see it or not. That sentence sounds a lot scarier than we meant it to, but you’re probably using some form of RFID every day without even realising it.
We’re RFID nerds here at TEC-RFID, so we think all uses of the technology are fascinating in their own way, but for the less obsessive, we’ve compiled eight of our most interesting or surprising uses.
But before we dive in, if you’re looking for advanced RFID asset management systems for your business, don’t forget to browse our range of solutions here.
01 – Livestock Tracking
Imagine you’re a farmer … got it? Good. Now, imagine you have one particular sheep which needs a specific medication. How are you going to find them in a field of other woolly bodies? In days gone by, you might have needed to mark them with a notch in their ear or some other physical alteration that they will no doubt be more than a little upset about.
However, with RFID tags, not only can you mark individual animals and just scan to see which one you’re looking at, you can record all kinds of data from their name right through to vaccination records. Your fictional farming life just got a whole lot easier!
02 – Retail Loss Prevention
Ever been leaving a shop and set the barriers off? That’s RFID! Shops are one of the biggest users of RFID as it helps to alert them to thefts, but these days, there are even more ways to use it, helping retailers catch more thieves.
Not only can you identify when someone is trying to leave with a prize ham stuffed up their jumper, you can now track which door they left through and when, giving your security an immediate pointer for where to look first. Failing that, the data can be cross-referenced with CCTV footage and handed to the police to help them track them down.
03 – Car Rentals
Your holiday’s come to an end and you’re already stressing about heading back to normality on Monday morning; the last thing you need is to have to spend ages queuing just to hand back the keys to your rental car.
To avoid this, cars can be RFID tagged, meaning that all you need to do is park it in any space at the rental office and walk away. The RFID tag does the work for you, letting the rental company know that the car’s back where it needs to be and within the agreed timeframe, meaning you can carry on with your day.
04 – Smart Homes
Imagine being able to open your garage, turn on the lights, open your gate and even your front door without having to lift a finger. With RFID you can live a life of sweet, effortless automation.
Secure RFID tags are the secret to creating the next generation of smart homes, packed with remote automation features designed to make your life easier and more comfortable.
05 – Healthcare
RFID is everywhere in healthcare. Hospitals have been using RFID tags to keep track of various assets and even monitor patient welfare for years, but one of the latest experiments with RFID in healthcare took place in a hospital in California in 2019.
Staff were asked wear RFID tagged badges, and readers were installed next to sanitiser dispensers. This way, hospital management could monitor who was using the dispensers and, crucially, they could also see who wasn’t. Through their experiment, the management team saw an increase of 32% in compliance with their hand hygiene policy.
06 – Passports
Electronic passport control barriers are a bit of a Marmite innovation, with some people loving the automation and others frustrated by the encroaching technology. In any case, fancy a guess at how they work? That’s right! It’s RFID.
The whole automated process hinges on the microchips that are now included as standard in all new UK passports, which use RFID tech to store relevant information about you, including your passport picture, which the barrier machines use to recognise you.
07 – Till Free Supermarkets
You’ve probably seen a few headlines by now about till free supermarkets beginning to crop up around the UK, in fact Aldi, Sainsbury’s and Tesco all have their own. Most of these stores use smart camera systems to track which products customers are putting in their baskets.
However, RFID is a burgeoning alternative to camera systems that some shoppers find invasive. Products can be tagged with single-use RFID labels, which are then scanned all at once as the customer leaves the store so a total cost can be calculated instantly.
08 – Products and Marketing
Gone are the days of your flat pack furniture coming with an instruction manual as thick as your arm. With RFID tagging, manufacturers need only include a tag you hold your smartphone to, and you’ll be presented with your choice of written instructions or helpful videos. Alternatively, tags could be placed next to products on shop shelves, where customers can view promotional videos or see other products or even sign up for updates about new releases.
These innovations not only save on printed materials but also on the overall weight of products, reducing shipping costs and emissions, as well as transforming the retail experience.
Discover the Power of RFID Yourself
Hopefully we’ve given you some insight into why we find RFID so exciting – or maybe we’ve just reinforced our own geekiness. RFID has a whole world of different uses, and the possibilities are near limitless.
Whether you’ve got a novel idea for how to use an RFID system or just need a smarter way to keep track of company assets, we can help. Just reach out to our expert team by calling us on 0844 870 7873 or fill out our contact form here.