More about radio tags...

Last week we brought you some facts about radio tags. How did you like them? Isn't it fascinating? Connecting everything around us is like real magic, which had come true because of scientific marvels.

Today, we are going to introduce you to what these radio tags are, their technology and the history of radio tags. Join us to explore the world of radio tags into greater depths...

What is a radio tag?

Radio tag or RFID is a chip with a connected antenna. This chip can store up to 2000 bytes. This programmed

chip and the transponder tag, is pasted or printed on a paper. To start working, this chip should be connected with the radio waves.

A permanent or mobile scanning antenna produces radio wave fields. When the chip is open to this field, it becomes active. Then the data in the chip is communicated with the antenna.

This antenna can be connected to a computer with a special programme, and can read the data in the chip. The area of this field is usually 20 feet. If, the tag is only active when its taken through this field, those tags are known as passive RFID tags.

There is no way to power the field through a battery or a special device, but some tags are connected to batteries and made more powerful. To activate these, you don't have to enter the radio wave fields. You can also take information from an antenna which is situated far away from the chip.

These are known as active RFID tags. Active RFID tags have a lifespan of 10 years, while passive RFID tags have an unlimited lifespan.

New technology in radio tags

Various companies in the world are trying their best to improve the technology behind radio tags. They have discovered an ink which can print the circuits on paper or plastic. Because of this, these tags can be printed as a thin layer and can also be printed on packets, bottles, on a table or on a window, as the bar-codes.

Two Japanese companies have invented a variety of radio tags which can be printed inside a normal paper. This eight bit micro controller is 100 micrometres in width (that is 1/1000 of a millimetre). A normal paper is 300 micrometres in width.

So, these radio tags can be hidden in the paper.Usually, active radio tags cannot be stored everywhere because of the battery which cannot be folded. Another Japanese company has invented a battery that can be folded as well.

This is known as 'Organic Radical Battery - ORB'. This battery is the width of a normal paper, and can be folded as well as recharged in 30 seconds. When these batteries are connected with the radio tags, they are really powerful.

History of radio tags

According to many, Leon Theramin had first found out about radio tags. He invented a spying device in 1948 for Russia, which could be activated with radio waves. In the Second World War (1939), the British army used a similar device to identify enemy planes.

But, the radio tags used today was first introduced in a research paper by Stockmann in 1948.

Janani Amarasekara