Radio Frequency Identification Technology Essay

Radio Frequency Identification Technology - Essay Example But there is a big difference in both the technologies; the bar code identification technology uses line of sight reading for scanning. Whereas, the RFID technology does not depend on this line of sight reading. RFID can read the tags that are some meters away and also can read the tags that are not in the line of sight of the reader. RFID has made significant improvements in the inventory tracking and management processes. The RFID is a technology that is needed and is being used in almost every field that needs a unique identification and tracking system. The RFID tags can hold any kind of information whether simple or complex one. The RFID tags can hold almost 2000 bytes of data. RFID technology has no doubt replaced the bar code detection system and is considered to be the enhanced technology. The RFID is capable of tracking and identifying a great number of items simultaneously. This feature definitely saves a great amount of time and money that is spent on monitoring individual items. Due to many enhancements this technology is being widely used in almost every field. (Discover RFID, 1, n.d) Generally, the technology of Radio Frequency Identification evolved from the roots of the radar systems which have now become one of the hottest supply chain technologies. Most of the Europeans were at that time using radar systems which came into existence in 1935 by a physicist from Scotland, Sir Robert Alexander Watson Watt, which helped them caution against planes which were approaching them even when they are miles away. The problem which the countries faced due to radar system was that they could not identify the planes approaching them, whether it was an enemy's plane or country's own pilot. At that time Germans invented a method following which the base could alert them which aircraft is a German one and which is the Allied aircraft, which was that the German pilots if roll their planes while returning to base that would enable the base and ground crew that the approaching aircraft is a German plane. We can say that this was crude method was the first RFID system. After this method the Scottish physicist helped British developed an IFF system, known as Identify Friend or Foe. The British installed a transmitter on each of their aircrafts, which when received signals from the radar systems from the ground would send the signal back enabling the base to identify their aircrafts. This concept then became the evolution of the RFID systems and was just the same as RFID, which sent signals to a transponder which then reflects the signal back to where it received the signals or even broadcast an active system back to its source. Different advancements were made in radar and RF systems through 1950's and 1960's. (The History of RFID Technology, 1, n.d) Functionality of RFID RFID works has three different parts of the system which includes a scanning antenna, a transceiver which is used to interpret the data by the help of a decoder and a transponder which has been programmed with all the information. Scanning antenna is used to transmit signals at a short range by sending radio frequency signals.