Active device tagging to excel in burgeoning global RFID market
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
3,500 new radiofrequency identification (RFID) tagging projects, of which healthcare is a key area, in 109 countries were recorded by sector analysts IDTechEx in 2007. The US and China are said to be vying for the world market leadership, at $1.3bn apiece, but the two countries diverge hugely in their use of passive and active tagging, according to IDTechEx chairman Peter Harrop. The US features predominantly the latter, such as used in real-time location systems (RTLS) for medical equipment and devices. "By contrast, China has been pre-eminent in using passive tags...However, [active] RFID is a government priority" in terms of both increasing the supply of the technology and using it to improve the competitiveness of China, Dr Harrop believes. Active RFID, which is expected to grow from 12% of the market to 26% over the next decade, is the subject of the conference "Active RFID, RTLS and sensor networks", which takes place in Dallas, Texas, on November 5-6. See www.idtechex.com/active