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Fujitsu Develops Compact Rfid For Wearables, Metal


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Bionym's Nymi Band interactive devices.

Fujitsu Laboratories is working on an RFID tag that can be used with wearables, such as Bionym's Nymi Band (shown here in several colors).

Credit: Bionym

Fujitsu reports its new radio frequency identification (RFID) tag technology can work on surfaces such as metal, which can otherwise impede radio waves.

The design consists of a metal antenna laid out in a loop inside a thin sheath of plastic, which is placed directly on some material. Fujitsu says if the material is metal, it can help transmit radio signals from the tag.

"With this new technology we have announced, the metal of the object around where the tag is placed effectively becomes an extension of the antenna," says Manabu Kai, research manager at Fujitsu's Advanced Wireless Technologies Lab.

The loop design also enables efficient radio signal propagation when tags are used on plastic surfaces such as ID cards.

Kai says the tag is more compact than typical metal-compatible RFID tags, but it has a communication range of about two meters. "Were we to increase the size of this tag to match the dimensions of existing tags, it would be possible to increase the maximum communication distance," Kai notes.

Fujitsu says the technology could be used to track machine parts and as a component in building access cards.

From Computerworld
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