A complete pilot kit that allows designers to create pilot projects quickly using RuBee (IEEE P1902.1) wireless asset visibility was announced by Visible Assets, Inc. (Visible). Visible's new RuBee Pilot Kit (RPK) and licensing package includes an IEEE P1902.1 license plus the RuBee hardware, software, and support designers need to carry out a new industry application pilot.
RuBee is a long-wavelength magnetic transceiver protocol that overcomes many of the problems seen with RFID and other wireless asset visibility solutions through its ability to work effectively near steel and liquids. Suited for a wide range of asset visibility applications, RuBee tags work over a range of 1 to 100 feet and can be powered by a single battery for up to 10 years. RuBee systems are easily combined with optional sensors, buttons, displays, and LEDs. RuBee tags may be directly embedded into items such as weapons, mission critical tools, medical devices, cell phones, and products stored on shelving.
The new RuBee Pilot Kit being announced today includes Visible's Dot-Tag visibility engine software and server hardware, Sidewinders routers, RuBee wireless tags, RuBee antennas, and direct support from Visible to execute a single-focused RuBee pilot in a new application or new industry area.
RuBee is bidirectional, on-demand, and peer-to-peer. It can operate at other frequencies but 131 kHz is optimal. RuBee tags can have sensors, optional displays and may have a full 4 bit microprocessor with static memory. The RuBee protocol uses an or IP Address. A tag may hold data in its own memory (instead or in addition to having data stored on a server). Some tags have as much as 5 kB of memory. RuBee functions successfully in harsh environments, with networks of many thousands of tags, and has a range of 1 to 30 m depending on the antenna configuration. RuBee wireless asset visibility is already being used widely in medical, military, logistics, aerospace, and food industry applications. In July 2006, the FDA classified RuBee as a Non-Significant Risk Class 1 device for hospital operating room applications. In May 2007, a peer-reviewed study was published by the Mayo Clinic showing that RuBee has no effect on pacemakers or ICDs.
The protocol has likewise been approved by the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) for use in high security areas. RuBee is being used today to ensure the visibility and safety of hospital inventories, livestock, weapons safety systems, aircraft maintenance tools, and many other categories of goods and services. RuBee received the 2007 Logistic Technology of the Year Award from Frost and Sullivan.
"RFID loses much of its capabilities when it is near steel, liquids, people, and animals," stated John K. Stevens, chairman and CEO of Visible Assets. "This is just one reason so many industries are turning to RuBee wireless asset visibility. Moreover, RuBee has no eavesdropping or tempest risk seen with other wireless technologies, and we believe it has met the highest possible standard for wireless security in the U.S."
RuBee wireless produces a near uniform volumetric signal in harsh environments, has enhanced performance on steel, and is totally unaffected by liquids and water. RuBee provides reliable, real-time asset visibility with virtually no change in human processes. RuBee has no human safety issues since it produces radio signals many millions of times below the OSHA and IEEE C95.1 safety limits.
Permabit Technology Corporation announced the results from a survey of IT decision makers that reveals key trends in the enterprise archiving market. More than half indicated that their perception of high cost was the number one reason for not implementing an archiving solution, and 40 percent said that reliability was the primary consideration when choosing an archiving solution.
