ThingMagic.com
Trimble Expands Enterprise RFID Capabilities with ThingMagic Mercury6 Reader Upgrade

SUNNYVALE, Calif., November 8, 2011 – Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) announced a firmware upgrade to its ThingMagic® Mercury6 (M6) RFID reader for the integration of high-performance RFID into enterprise, commercial and industrial environments. The upgrade features support for the EPCglobal Low-Level Reader Protocol (LLRP) v 1.0.1, custom LLRP extensions and reader-hosted applications, providing partners and users with application programming flexibility and "plug-and-play" access to the rich capabilities and performance of the ThingMagic M6 reader.

Support for the EPCglobal Low-level Reader Protocol

LLRP provides a flexible and extensible industry-standard interface for operating network-connected RFID readers. With support for LLRP v 1.0.1, the ThingMagic M6 can interface with a wide range of popular enterprise infrastructures and business systems, offer increased scalability, and lower the cost and technical barriers associated with RFID adoption.

"A growing number of organizations are deploying RFID technology and integrating the data with existing enterprise systems for critical aspects of their business," said Tom Grant, general manager of Trimble’s ThingMagic Division. "The features added in this upgrade allow our customers to recognize the business benefits of RFID faster, and make it easier for our channel partners to sell and support ThingMagic products."

The upgrade also offers custom extensions to the standard implementation of LLRP. These include support for Gen2 Tag extension commands from several leading RFID chip and tag vendors, and “policy-centric” read plans that allow users to define how to interact with tags and then apply the same policy to any antenna deployed with the reader, rather than forcing users to follow the LLRP “antenna-centric” model.

Offering additional flexibility to its developer and user communities, ThingMagic customers now have the option of operating M6 readers with the ThingMagic Mercury API or LLRP depending on their project requirements. Existing M6 customers can take advantage of LLRP by upgrading to the new interface without changing how their current host programs interact with the API – making the transition seamless and transparent.

Ease of integration, scalability, accuracy and simplified management are the keys to success when deploying RFID at an enterprise scale," said Patrick J. Sweeney II, CEO of ODIN , an RFID software & solutions company with more than 500 projects to their credit. "ThingMagic’s implementation of LLRP and value-add extensions map nicely to customer needs and meet ODIN’s rigorous design and engineering standards, which is why the M6 is fully integrated with ODIN’s software - off the shelf."

Reader-Hosted Applications

Also included in the upgrade is a Linux-based operating system capable of hosting on-reader applications. This feature allows the M6 reader to perform application-specific actions independently, providing solution developers the opportunity to differentiate their offerings to the enterprise market.

Mercury6 Adoption

Driven by ThingMagic’s powerful Mercury6e (M6e) UHF RFID reader module, the M6 is a low profile, high-performance 4-port RFID reader designed for both indoor and outdoor applications. Since its introduction in early 2011, M6 readers have been deployed by customers in a variety of industries such as construction, retail, healthcare, manufacturing and transportation.

"As a provider of high performance identification, traceability and control solutions, RFID Systems is committed to promoting open technology platforms and simplifying integration with existing systems," said Marcos Honda, sales director of RFID Systems , a division of ACURA Technologies. "The ThingMagic M6 delivers the performance and versatility that is required in our varied client environments. The new enterprise-grade capabilities of the M6 will make it easier for our customers to manage and scale their RFID-enabled processes as their needs evolve."

Pricing and Availability

The firmware upgrade is expected to be available beginning November 15, 2011. Existing ThingMagic M6 customers with a current support contract can acquire the upgrade at no additional cost. For more information, please contact ThingMagic sales at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call +1-866-833-4069 (U.S.) or +1 617-499-4090 (international).

About Trimble’s ThingMagic Division

Trimble’s ThingMagic Division is a leading provider of UHF RFID reader engines, development platforms and design services for a wide range of applications. ThingMagic develops products for demanding high-volume applications and provides consulting and design services to create solutions for challenging applications. ThingMagic's customers include some of the world's largest industrial automation firms, manufacturers, automotive companies, retailers, and consumer companies. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, ThingMagic was founded in 2000 by a group of visionary PhD graduates from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab. ThingMagic is "The Engine in RFID™". For more information, visit: www.thingmagic.com.
 
Reshaping the Way We Think About RFID
Reshaping the Way We Think about RFID PassAGENow
 
XECAN and Trimble Partner to Deliver ThingMagic Powered RFID Oncology Solution

SUNNYVALE, Calif., September 28, 2011 – Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) announced today that XECAN, a leading provider of RFID patient safety solutions, has integrated the ThingMagic® Astra® UHF Reader into its RFID Oncology Solution. The XECAN solution enhances the patient experience and significantly assists in the goal of eliminating treatment errors allowing healthcare organizations to offer a safer and more inviting medical experience. Most recently, XECAN’s RFID Oncology Solution was deployed at Jordan Hospital in Massachusetts.

Designed for enterprise environments, the ThingMagic Astra is an integrated UHF RFID reader that is easy to install and unobtrusive, making it ideal for healthcare IT infrastructures . The XECAN Oncology Solution leverages the Astra’s flexibility, ease-of-use and low cost to automate patient queuing, the opening of patient charts and treatment plans, and accessory verification for treatment devices. XECAN’s RFID plug-in solution is designed to eliminate patient identification and potential treatment errors by interfacing directly with Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software.

"By embedding our agent software directly onto the Astra reader, we’ve made our RFID Oncology Solution truly plug-and-play," said Bin Yang, Ph.D., CEO of XECAN. "The design and functionality of Astra lets us offer integration-ready RFID solutions for major EMR systems on the market, so customers don’t have to modify their existing EMR software. This breakthrough advantage sets us apart while enabling us to provide an affordable, yet highly reliable RFID system."

"Healthcare organizations have recognized how Passive UHF RFID can help streamline business operations, as well as the positive impact RFID-enabled solutions can have on patients," said Tom Grant, general manager of Trimble's ThingMagic Division. "By simplifying the way organizations can develop, integrate, and deploy RFID-enabled solutions, we help healthcare companies like XECAN focus more on the patient and less on the RFID technology."

As part of the solution, each patient receives a XECAN RFID lanyard. The RFID reader, which is concealed above the ceiling, automatically identifies the patient. Because of the extended read range of the ThingMagic Astra reader, patients need only pass within approximately 15 feet of any reader to be recognized. Through the XECAN EMR integration, when the RFID system identifies the patient, they are placed in the daily schedule queue and their medical chart and treatment plan are immediately opened. Patient-identifiable information can only be viewed within the clinic and only by authorized staff members.

After only a few weeks of use, the deployment at Jordan Hospital has been very well received by staff and patients because it fosters a more pleasant experience for the patient. By reducing the number of time-consuming manual activities, the front office and nursing staff can spend more quality time with the patients. Additionally, patients can be confident that “wrong patient” medical errors are significantly minimized, if not eliminated.

"Before the RFID system was in place, we would have to ask the patient to produce three forms of identification to properly match them with their treatment plans. Now, after an initial registration, the patient’s identification is verified automatically in one step. This gives us more time to talk to patients about things going on in their lives, helping them feel more at ease," said Natalie Campbell, Department manager, Jordan Hospital. "We’re so pleased with the progress that we’re already thinking about expanding the RFID system to other parts of the hospital to potentially include staff and radiology accessories."

New Customer Deployments

Joining several leading oncology clinics, Lahey Clinic has also selected the XECAN RFID solution. The first phase of Lahey’s XECAN solution will be deployed at its Burlington, Massachusetts site for patient tracking and queuing. Patient charts will be opened in two LINAC rooms, along with SIM rooms and exam rooms. The second phase will take place at the Lahey Clinic Medical Center in Peabody, Massachusetts with similar functionality. A third phase is expected to add more tracking locations to fully leverage the technology to improve operational flows.

ThingMagic RFID readers are also deployed in solutions at healthcare facilities such as the Roy and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center to reduce patient anxiety and improve the workflow between clinicians, patients and administrators, as well as in Greenville Hospital for surgical case cart stocking, equipment loss prevention and asset utilization reporting. The company’s RFID Reader Modules have also been selected for integration into many mobile and stationary medical devices, allowing hospitals to benefit from patient-centric applications that would otherwise not be possible, such as point-of-care solutions and services, automated pharmaceutical receipt & distribution, ADT, and EMR applications.

About XECAN

XECAN is a Boston-based RFID Technology Company incorporated in 2007. XECAN’s core team of MIT-trained engineers have many years of experience in the enterprise software industry. Through years of work on RFID technology at MIT’s Auto-ID Center and Media Lab, XECAN has developed the world class plug-and-play wedge integration technology, and the secure enterprise-quality software infrastructure that constitutes the basis for its RFID products. XECAN has a solid Intellectual Property base and unmatched RFID expertise. The current XECAN team members are well-recognized experts in the RFID field.

About Trimble’s ThingMagic Division

Trimble’s ThingMagic Division is a leading provider of UHF RFID reader engines, development platforms and design services for a wide range of applications. ThingMagic develops products for demanding high-volume applications and provides consulting and design services to create solutions for challenging applications. ThingMagic's customers include some of the world's largest industrial automation firms, manufacturers, automotive companies, retailers, and consumer companies. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, ThingMagic was founded in 2000 by a group of visionary PhD graduates from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab. ThingMagic is "The Engine in RFID™". For more information, visit: www.thingmagic.com.
 
Spimes

Bruce Sterling’s book “Shaping Things” Shaping Things contemplates a future in which all objects produced in our society have microhistories that can be traced.

This is a very broad and exciting vision, and an important one if we are to become a truly sustainable society. Carlo Ratti and his team at MIT have begun to look at the microhistories at the end of the supply chain by tracking trash with a wireless, battery-powered object that reports GPS coordinates over time as it moves along with the trash. At ThingMagic, we believe that once RFID tags are economically feasible enough to add to all of our disposable products, and with RFID readers in trucks and other points in the garbage collection supply chain, we can truly start to track all objects through this part of the industrial cycle. If the product can be identified and all of its material contents known, it will allow us to have some inputs into knowing where high quality materials can be harvested in a closed-loop industrial cycle. Perhaps more importantly, consumers will be able to finally see the end of life of their consumer goods, understand their impact on our planet, and for the non-biological materials, hopefully see them cycled back into a new product, rather than lost, locked into the earth as refuse.
 
Add your comment
Social RFID?
Social RFID? Integrated Solutions for Retailers
 
More Articles...


Page 1 of 26

Achieve 100% Reads

"If a live tag was in the carton, the ThingMagic Mercury RFID readers caught it and achieved 100 percent read rates, with no misreading of any of the 13,500 RFID tags. In fact, we had some cartons with over 100 items, which we thought might result in RFID read errors due to high density and shielding of tags, but these, too, were read at 100 percent"

-- Frank Cornelius, New Balance