Near Field Communications Handsets and Tags, NFC Pilots and Projects

SmartTouch project aims to take NFC home

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Fagor, Ikerlan-IK4 and others are completing an award-winning project that uses NFC technology to make the home a more comfortable place for the elderly, according to basqueresearch.com.

The project, which recently won a gold medal at the European Eureka-Itea R+D program, focused on integrating NFC into systems of teleassistance, telemonitoring and domotic functions.


For example, when taking blood pressure, the system recognizes the identity of the user by reading a chip embedded in a locket, bracelet or cell phone, and sends the data automatically to the appropriate monitoring center.

The project can also be used for comfort and entertainment. When a person enters a room, the system automatically recognizes him or her and adjusts the heat, lighting and music to suit that person’s tastes.

Read more here[end] 

SEPTA’s (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority) proposed smart card fare system has met some resistance from passenger advocates, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Essentially, the proposition entails railway passengers taking a free train into the Philadelphia’s Center City station and paying a roundtrip fare on ride home, reports The Inquirer.

read more »

Anakam Identity Suite has been chosen as the provider of three-factor authentication for West Corporations Fortune 1000 clients. Anakam will work to enhance the ‘West at Home’ service enabling it to feature a unique selection of authentication functions such as voice biometrics and digital signature.

read more »

TazTag has announced the launch of its new TazBox , a device designed to give users the ability to use contactless technology in the home or office.

read more »

Trossen Robotics announced its latest version of the RFID Experimenters Kit for RFID technology enthusiasts.

In this latest release Trossen has added Windows 7 support, which gives hobbyists the ability bypass the conventional typed-based password method and instead have the computer just sense a RFID tag in your pocket and Voila!

read more »

South Africa is putting on hold indefinitely its smart card ID project, according to itweb.co.za.

Home Affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma stated that her department has run out of money after reallocating R114 million meant for the project to “other things,” ITWeb reports.

read more »

The Canadian Visa vendor Home Trust has selected Gemalto to manage its migration to EMV smart payment cards. Up until now the company has supplied only magnetic strip payment cards. With the support of Gemalto, Home Trust will begin issuing the new cards through pilot programs in Ontario.

read more »