At the Aichi World Fair in Japan in 2005, Hitachi Mew Solutions 2.45 GHz passive RFID inserts were in 25 million admission tickets that were issued. They were a great success with no counterfeits getting through and 560 counterfeits intercepted. Failure rate was only 0.002%. The chips used were unusually small at 0.4 X 0.4 X 0.06 millimeters. They were attached to a printed silver stripe antenna a few centimeters long.
Now Hitachi has gone 64 times smaller, with RFID "Powder LSI chips" intended for anti-counterfeiting that are only 0.05 X 0.05 X 0.005 millimeters in dimensions though they still need to have the antenna attached or nearby to get the same range, something that will be achieved by microwires or printing. The picture below compares this chip with a human hair. With the same 128 bits of data it can still be issued with ten to the power of 38 unique codes.
Source of all images: Hitachi
Will we be printing using ink loaded with silicon chips of this type one day?
For more read RFID Forecasts, Players & Opportunities and attend RFID Smart Labels USA 2008.
