Ad hoc Networked Tags (ANT) for Active RFID

The US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (MRMC) needs a new Automated Identification system to track and monitor the condition of medical supply items from point of origin to end user. InfinID Technologies, Inc. proposes a new system for item tagging called Ad hoc Networked Tags (ANT), based on the use of active RFID tags that self-organize to create a reliable communications network for interrogation of many closely packed medical items, even in the presence of sources of interference such as metal, liquid and cardboard. In addition, the ANT RFID tag has an open sensor bus to allow a wide variety of sensors to be attached to the tag. Because each tag is both a transmitter and a receiver, the system can be made very secure by incorporating two-way “challenge-response” encryption protocols to ensure tag IDs are genuine and the system is not being spoofed. For medical supply tracking, the robustness and security of the system would ensure virtually 100% read rates with 100% security. The ANT RFID system allows alarm indications to be logged and/or sent to a central monitoring station if any medical supplies are subject to extreme conditions (heat, humidity, vibration or shock).