Real-Time Inventory Management

New radio frequency identification (RFID) tags allow stores to know if and when an item goes missing. The latest tags from Hertfordshire-based Technologies (FTL) don't give much information about an item unless specifically queried, making it so off-the-shelf RFID readers cannot be used to look inside customer's shopping bags.

Instead, the new tags work by taking register of and scanning a store's inventory 600 times per second, and asking the tag to confirm whether or not it's a specific product. Each tag is made-up of silicon chips and an antenna for transmitting and receiving signals. According to The Engineer, they cost about 7p (~$11.04 USD) each to produce and provides a reach of up to 4m (~13.12 feet).

As the system is constantly scanning, in the event a product goes missing, there will be a recording of the exact moment it happened. The technology may also be used with a computer screen for automatic detection of when a shopper removes a product from a shelf and to get related product information like cost, availability, and similar products.

Do you think these new RFID chips will be useful in real world inventory management?

Source: The Engineer