Smartrac Technology Group has announced that Alibaba Group will invest in the company, reinforcing both parties’ commitment to strengthen brand protection strategies.

Michael Evans, President of Alibaba Group, will join Smartrac’s Supervisory Board.

Smartrac has developed a comprehensive suite of RFID-based solutions that utilize the company’s Internet of Things platform, Smart Cosmos. Smartrac’s IoT solutions enable brand product manufacturers to securely create and embed a unique digital identity into each individual product at the point of manufacture, at scale. This product identity can only be issued by the brand and can’t be faked, copied, stolen or lost. Thus, it provides full control and visibility of each genuine product throughout its product lifetime. In addition, brand owners can deliver exclusive and dynamic content to their consumers to increase customer engagement, loyalty and satisfaction, at the simple tap of a phone.

“At Alibaba, we are continuously innovating and partnering to provide market-leading solutions and highest levels of brand protection for our clients,” said Michael Evans, President of Alibaba Group. “We are thrilled to support Smartrac and together provide brands with innovative product authentication solutions at scale.”

“Smartrac provides premium product manufacturers and their customers with ultimate yet scalable solutions to protect and enhance brands”, said Christian Uhl, CEO and Chairman of the Management Board, Smartrac Technology Group. “We feel honored by Alibaba’s confidence that our technological expertise will provide brands and consumers with best-in-class product authentication and customer experience solutions”.

RFID technology leader Smartrac has announced Sensor Temperature DogBone, the industry’s first passive RAIN RFID temperature-sensing inlay. The new sensor inlay combines previously unattainable levels of accuracy and cost-efficiency. The latest addition to Smartrac’s sensor inlay family focuses on the logistics environment – cold-chain management, grocery or agricultural applications.

Launched at the RFID Journal Live! 2016 tradeshow in Orlando, Florida, this innovative product is the latest development arising from Smartrac’s successful cooperation with sensor specialist RFMicron.

Based on Smartrac’s moisture-level sensing inlay Sensor DogBone, and also utilizing the proven RFMicron Magnus® S3 chip, Sensor Temperature DogBone offers a maintenance-free and battery-free temperature-sensing solution to business problems for improved product management and quality control.

In addition, the new inlay retains the basic moisture-sensing capabilities of its sibling, as the IC provides the option to read the sensor code and on-chip RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) value to detect how much power the chip is receiving from the reader.

Accurately sensing temperatures from -20°C to +65°C
Sensor Temperature DogBone senses temperatures ranging from -20°C to +65°C. The sensed temperature is digitized into a 12-bit number and wirelessly communicated to off-the-shelf readers using a standard UHF Gen 2 protocol. The 12-bit number can easily be converted into a precise temperature measurement.

The typical accuracy is ±1°C using one-point calibration done during wafer manufacturing. Alternatively, two-point-calibration is available. This technique means that the tags are calibrated at an additional higher or lower temperature point, defining a temperature range where higher-than-standard accuracy is achievable.

Affordable solution serving a wide area of applications
Sensor Temperature DogBone can be deployed in environments where active or semi-active sensors are not practical or economically feasible. FCC and ETSI compliant and available in wet label format, Sensor Temperature DogBone is easy to implement, and works on different low- and high-dielectric materials like cardboards, plastics, stone, wood and construction materials.

Intended to serve new and existing markets, such as industrial, perishables, healthcare and Internet of Things (IoT), it provides great performance at a very reasonable cost level. By leveraging its temperature and moisture-sensing capabilities, an ever-wider range of use cases and applications is conceivable.

All in all, the new inlay boasts a long lifetime and full recyclability. Sensor Temperature DogBone works in the 860-960 MHz frequency range and comes in a die-cut size of 97 x 27 mm (3.8 x 1.1 in), with an antenna measuring 89 x 24 mm (3.5 x 0.9 in).

“With Sensor Temperature DogBone, we are expanding our highly successful product family of passive sensor inlays based on RFMicron’s Magnus S3 chip. Like its siblings, the new Sensor Temperature DogBone will provide the basis for a large number of applications that would be inconceivable without RFID sensing technology pioneered by Smartrac and RF Micron,” says Dirk Boltersdorf, Head of Product Development and Management, Intelligent Things Business Division at Smartrac.

Learn more about the new Sensor Temperature DogBone inlay and discover SMARTRAC’s innovative RFID solutions @ RFID Journal Live! 2016, booth #312, May 3-5, 2016, Orlando, Florida.