activity monitoring solutions, today announced the industry’s first Smart Wireless Sticker™. It provides automatic item identification, locating, tracking, protecting, data logging and condition sensing for items from up to a 1,000 feet away at a cost of less than $10 each. The “wireless computer on a sticker” combines traditional bar codes, Electronic Product Code (EPC) RFID, long range RFID tracking and wireless sensing in a small electronic label easily adhered to most any object. It is designed to enhance data management in product manufacturing, product automatic identification in shipping, automatic inventory and protection of enterprise assets and visibility into the condition of perishables and pharmaceuticals throughout the shipping process. Axcess’ newest application, based on its proven Dot™ micro-wireless technology platform, will be demonstrated at the annual RFID Live Conference and Exhibition in Las Vegas from April 16 to 18 in booth #718.

Imagine a peel and stick wireless computer applied to your car’s windshield, warehouse boxes, palettes, laptops, perishable shipments and more. Not only has Axcess introduced a wireless computer in the form of the industry’s first Smart Wireless Sticker, but also it has developed the smallest wireless computer to combine the following technological capabilities:

1. Printing on the sticker for visual identification;
2. Bar code application for short range manual identification;
3. Electronic Product Code (EPC) - standard passive wireless RFID communications supporting applications in the retail supply chain including the Wal-Mart^® mandate;
4. Long range active wireless communications for automobile identification, tracking, sensing and protection;
5. Short range active wireless read/write manifesting that tracks the history of equipment repair;
6. Temperature sensing, data logging and wireless transfer of the condition of produce, IT equipment and other temperature sensitive items.

This significant, low-cost introduction to the wireless market offers numerous advantages, including:

1. Easy to program electronically;
2. Easily and reliably adhered to items, boxes, assets and vehicles;
3. Communicates simultaneously to multiple standards-based infrastructures;
4. Tamper resistant and re-usable, if needed;
5. Stores data and transmits in real time over a low cost wireless network;
6. Stores and forwards user defined programmable information;
7. Tag wakes up and sends alerts at designated temperature ranges;
8. Pinpoints where perishables went bad to assign accountability;
9. Rich feature/function set for a revolutionary price point under $10.

Sensors Added to Axcess’ Dot Platform
By adding a condition monitoring sensor to its Dot platform and developing the Smart Wireless Sticker, Axcess has solved the industry’s problem of the size and placement of sensors, getting data off sensors and the cost of sensors.

The following scenarios exemplify two of countless situations in which the Smart Wireless Sticker will improve the way business is done today.

Problem Solved for Perishable Food
A shipment of bananas is tracked from a warehouse on a truck en route to its destination. The “wireless computer on the sticker” logs the temperatures en route. When the shipment reaches the distribution center dock door, the stored data is automatically off-loaded and processed by the system, indicating a spike in temperature occurred along the way and alerting personnel that the shipment’s freshness has been compromised. Clear accountability is documented for every shipment.

Problem Solved for Data Centers
A data center is wirelessly monitoring its server inventory, tracking any movements and detecting any unwarranted temperature changes with the equipment. As often happens, a server begins to fail and overheat. The “wireless computer on the sticker” wakes up and sends an alert to designated persons. The server’s functions are off-loaded, thereby avoiding any service impact to customers and further maintenance issues for the company.

“Industry has a common set of requirements for wirelessly enabling things in the enterprise to improve efficiency, productivity, security and safety,” stated Allan Griebenow, Axcess International’s CEO and President. “Bar code product data needs to be identifiable via wireless over longer ranges. Assets need to be located, tracked, inventoried and protected automatically. Sensing needs to be portable and available on discrete products. Until now, industry had conceived of something called a Smart Active Label or SAL. The Smart Wireless Sticker leapfrogs that by delivering short and long range wireless communications plus sensor logging, all combined in a very small, very low cost, easy to attach, standards-based wireless sticker.”

Axcess will demonstrate its wireless solutions at the RFID Live Annual Conference and Exhibition at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas from April 16 to 18 in booth #718.

About Dot Platform
Dot is based on a revolutionary system-on-a-chip (SOC) technology design. Axcess’ invention combines a processor, memory and wireless communications into one chip about the size of a grain of rice. It is as powerful as the first personal digital assistants (PDAs). It runs for years on a watch battery, stores at least three pages of information in memory and communicates to the world at high speed, all at a low cost. Within this single, low cost chip, Dot combines the beneficial elements of today’s monolithic technologies such as RFID, RTLS and wireless sensing. Dot technology incorporates a battery powered, software definable wireless receiver that is compatible with multiple global regulations, including the Electronic Product Code (EPC) Class I and Gen II (passive RFID) standard.

The active RFID and RTLS portions of Dot’s capabilities are built on and are backwardly compatible with the existing Axcess 433 MHz platform, which automatically activates tags on-demand to transmit micro-wireless messages as needed from 1 to 1,000 feet to hidden palm-size receivers. The receivers are connected via standard network (either 802.11X wireless or wired) simultaneously to the enterprise system software and the existing security alarm equipment. The system supports standalone middleware and end-user software provided by Axcess under the e-Supervisor™ label or via an easy connection to third party middleware and software solutions.

Dot is a one-of-a-kind hybrid – a single wireless source – common to multiple industry standards and supporting virtually all industries including manufacturing, the enterprise, oil and gas, utilities, education, government and the military.

Axcess offers a developer's kit royalty free to licensed registered developers. Opening the architecture is expected to add to the already broad use of Dot technology.

Information Source:   Business Wire

Images courtesy of Axcess website