One of the main issues stopping RFID becoming all pervasive has been
the cost of the software and hardware needed. I had a briefing with
Tego, who have just released a new product, TegoDrive, which may be the
answer to the cost conundrum.
Who are Tego?
Tego are a RFID solutions provider focused on high-memory
applications that gather and store information on tagged assets. Based
on their experience in the aviation industry, they have developed tags
that can carry the entire life history maintenance records on aircraft
parts wherever they go, accessible through any standard RFID reader. The
company is based in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA and was founded in
2005. Timothy Butler, President and CEO of Tego explained "'Beyond ID'
is Tego's theme of RFID achieving more than barcode applications. The
standards, protocols and systems that support RFID are actually aspects
of a powerful wireless communications network that can now be exploited
for more than just identification."
What solutions do they provide?
A wide range of rugged industrial high-memory tags are available from Tego and its partners for many applications.
The TegoChip is available as three distinct product families, with
memory size options of up to 32kBytes, and is fully interoperable with
the UHF Gen 2 RFID infrastructure.
• XM product family provides high memory capabilities for applications, including record keeping and security.
• XL product family provides similar capabilities to the TegoChip XM,
but with enhanced memory retention and the ability to survive harsh
environments, including high temperatures and radiation.
• GW product family provides the capability to interface to sensors,
controls and e-ink style displays, or for any application where the tag
includes an interface to an external device such as a temperature
sensor.
Tego Radion tags provide track and trace functionality for items that
are exposed to radiation, including use in X-rays, gamma sterilization
and nuclear applications.
The TegoChip XM family is the commercial grade version of technology
used in aviation and other industries to store asset history
information. Fully compatible with standard Gen 2 infrastructure, the
chips can store not just an EPC identification code but also up to
32KBytes of user data. The tags are supplied to end users in the
standard smart card size of 3.370" by 2.125" and are available as short
range tags that operate at a few inches or as long range tags that can
be read at ranges of a few feet.
Tego also offers kits for users considering several form factors.
Tego Aviation Launch Kit is an "out of the box" solution for aviation
companies adding RFID tags to flyable parts. It includes the reader,
software and tags needed to start reading and writing ATA Spec 2000
records on tags.
TegoView is an "RFID solution platform" that runs on standard RFID
readers and allows users to work directly with Gen 2 tags of any memory
size. It allows users to initialize tags, write to user memory and
display tag information in a user-friendly form. TegoView supports the
new ATA standard for organising data in tag memory and provides
preconfigured automatic reports for reader display.
Tego partners
Tego has established global partnerships and alliances with leading
tag converters and systems integrators. In fact it is like looking at
the great and good in the world of RFID and includes Intermec,
OatSystems (a division of Checkpoint), Odin Technology, Caen, Sirit and
ThingMagic (a division of Trimble).
The new announcement
Tego announced a new product to their portfolio - TegoDrive.
TegoDrive treats information stored on RFID tags as files and folders on
the desktop. By installing the software on an end-user's desktop or
handheld device, tasks such as adding new content to a tag are as simple
as "save-as" or drag-and-drop. Butler stated, "TegoDrive eliminates the
bottleneck and cost of customizing proprietary RFID reader applications
to work with existing enterprise software. Microsoft Windows becomes
the reader application program, and accessing RFID assets becomes a
simple drag-and-drop extension of desktop computing. TegoDrive allows
tag users to store and retrieve their own data, regardless of the format
it is in, and to access tags using standard operating system commands
already familiar to them."
TegoDrive is currently in beta testing with customers across multiple
industries. The product will launch in kit form in April, including a
third-party reader and TegoChip tags bundled for under $1,000 USD. A
standalone software version of TegoDrive will also be offered with
pricing comparable to typical office application software. A custom API
will be available in the future to allow for reader and application
integration.
Comment
Tego have been at the forefront of the development of memory
technology on RFID tags. TegoDrive takes the ability to use RFID to
solve business issues into another dimension. With a low cost of entry
and the ease with which users can gain benefits due to the simplicity of
its drag and drop and use of existing business applications, this makes
Tego and TegoDrive leaders in the next stage of RFID development.
About the Author
Tego is
the leading provider for smart asset RFID applications, including the
most widely used solution for tagging flyable parts in the aviation
industry. Tego's innovative RFID products and solutions ensure that asset information is always available when and where it is needed most on the asset itself.