STTR Phase I: A Roll-Call System for Asset Tracking

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This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project seeks to improve inventory control. With a new Roll-Call(TM) system, items will announce themselves every few seconds to a network of readers. The goal is to know where all items are at all times. Among other things, a side effect is the determination that an item is missing when it stops announcing itself; absolute proof against loss by shielding or destroying a tag. Challenges include reliably "hearing" individual items among thousands announcing themselves simultaneously and interfering with one another, detecting fraudulent announcements, and tracking item movement within a geographic area. This project will address these challenges and demonstrate the feasibility a Roll-Call system that can be engineered to meet market-driven functionality and cost constraints. The RFID standards being promoted by WalMart and DOD are not compatible with important needs that can and should be addressed using radio technology. Specifically, 900 MHz, writeable, memory-laden tags specified by emerging standards will not fit on any of the growing class of small, valuable items in the economy and provide adequate radio range for continuous inventory. Market sectors that will immediately benefit from first-generation technology include hand-held electronics, the jewelry industry, shipping services, the pharmaceutical industry, art and antiques, and book stores and libraries. Specifically, any situation in which high-value objects need to be located and tracked often will benefit.