Feb 01,2007_Shopping carts that scan purchases and total up the bill may soon become reality as a result of research making radio frequency identification technology (RFID) more accessible, a published report said on Tuesday.

Researchers at the Institute of Microelectronics (IME) said their work could cut the cost of each RFID reader from US$1,000 to $100.

 
Cheaper and Smaller
They have also reduced the size of the readers from a small notebook computer to that of a credit card, according to details of the innovation in The Straits Times.

The researchers have managed to combine the components needed onto a single silicon chip, following a year's work and an investment in the "million-dollar range," IME Executive Director Kwong Dim-Lee was quoted as saying.

This could translate to more consumer handheld  applications on smaller devices, said Kwong, a professor.

Falling Costs
Rajinder Singh, who heads the research team, said the cost of radio tags which mark and identify goods has been rapidly falling.

"However, the readers (which scan the tags) are the biggest, heaviest and most expensive portion of RFID adoption," he told the newspaper.

With the new research possibly slashing the price, more retail applications could be on the way.

The IME has linked up with Smart ID Technology to manufacture and sell the readers, which are also expected to be introduced to Asia-Pacific customers in the manufacturing sector.

source:  www.technewsworld.com