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Mojix has released a new version of its wide-area RFID tag readingproduct, now capable of reading tags 600 or more feet away. The Mojix Space Time Array Receiver (STAR) 3000 has a range of tagreading performance improvements, better cost of ownership, aruggedized radio receiver for use in outdoor and industrial sites,and an option to run the server software as part of VMware virtualization deployment. BACKGROUND: RFID 'starter kit' is low-cost entry to asset management Los Angeles-based Mojix was founded in 2004 by a team of NASA scientists and engineers.They adapted deep space communications signal processing algorithmsfor RFID, enabling a single, separate, highly sensitive receiver toread tags hundreds of feet away. The algorithms were developedbased on their experience at NASA in salvaging telemetry data fromthe Galileo spacecraft mission after Galileo's high-gain antennafailed to deploy upon reaching Jupiter. By contrast, most RFID systems have a tag reading range of 20 to 30feet, or with expensive battery-powered tags around 100 feet,requiring portable tag readers or using multiple larger readers atchokepoints such as assembly lines, where product is loaded onpallets, or at shipping docks. The Mojix breakthrough was enough todraw $40 million in venture backing from the likes of OakInvestments Partners, InnoCal Venture Capital, Red Rock Venturesand Silicon Valley Bank. The first product, STAR 1000, was introduced in Q2 2008. Customersinclude Airbus, BP, Dole, Kraft, Lufthansa Cargo and the U.S.Department of Defense. The STAR 3000 has the same basic architecture as its predecessors.Customers deploy onsite one or more eNode Controllers, with acluster of distributed antennas, now up to 16. The antennastransmit an RF beam to industry-standard passive RFID tags; the 16antennas now can cover more than 200,000 square feet. The RF energy"wakes up" the tags, which in essence reflect back part of theenergy, along with the ID and other data associated with the tag.In the new product, up to just over 65,500 eNodes can be deployedin one system, compared to 512 in the previous version. Mojix's mojo is in the STAR Array Receiver, which uses a techniquecalled "iterative signal processing" to sense the signal,manipulate it and read it -- consistently accurately -- over verylong distances. Mojix has 23 patents related to these algorithms.The tag information is passed via a network connection to the MojixMaster Controller application, dubbed MCON for short, on a LANappliance or, now, on a VMware virtual machine deployed onsite oras a cloud service. A byproduct of the STAR's signal processing, is that it can alsopinpoint the location of each tag. The Mojix algorithms uses spaceand RF polarization dimensions, in addition to the frequency andtime dimensions used in conventional RFID systems. Adding thesedimensions boosts the locational sensitivity, and it's coupled withSTAR's all-seeing wall-to-wall or fence-to-fence view of thephysical space to show tag locations accurately, according to Mojixfounder and CEO Ramin Sadr. STAR 3000 can be used to combine RFIDwith real-time location services (RTLS) which typically hasrequired a separate system, with relatively expensivebattery-powered wireless tags. Mojix also released native apps for iOS and Android devices. The apps let users access data on the MCON server, creategeotags for assets being tracked, and add multimedia information tothe tag, such as video, audio, barcode and text. Mojix STAR 3000 is available now. Pricing varies widely dependingon the scale of the tagging project, environmental considerations,and other variables. Mojix has partnerships with a range ofintegrators and resellers in specific vertical markets for packagedsolutions for customers in those segments. The company claims to be"substantially lower" than RFID rivals with conventional systems. John Cox covers wireless networking and mobile computing forNetwork World. witter: @johnwcoxnww mail: john_cox@nww.com logRSS feed: community/blog/2989/feed Read more about anti-malware in Network World's Anti-malware section. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Military Pontoon Bridge , Transport Semi Trailer Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Bailey Bridge.
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