Supply Chain Frontiers issue #2. Read all articles in this issue.
The creation of special interest groups and a unique course on system applications are among the new MIT initiatives on radio frequency identification technology (RFID).
The Auto-ID Labs at MIT, a federation of university research labs and initiatives, has launched the Packaging Special Interest Group and the Web Services WAN (Wide Area Network) Special Interest Group to explore RFID applications in these areas.
In addition, the organization is setting up the Healthcare Research Initiative to research RFID and EPC (Electronic Product Code) technology for the healthcare industry. "It is a highly regulated industry that seeks answers to issues such as how radio frequency emissions will impact pharmaceutical products and the effect of RFID systems in a clinical environment," said Robin Koh, who is leading the healthcare industry effort.
The Auto-ID Labs will host several RFID courses this summer. One-day events this July in Cambridge, MA and Washington DC are aimed at C-level executives and will explore issues such as the return on investment that the technology can generate. A three-day course slated for August will appeal to RFID implementers.
Another innovative offering in the field is what may be the first graduate course ever to focus entirely on RFID and Auto-ID (automatic object identification) technology. The new course, introduced this spring in MIT's Engineering Systems Division, focused especially on how RFID is transforming the supply chain.
During the semester students gained a hands-on understanding of RFID system components and applications.
The comprehensive list of topics in the syllabus reflected the interdisciplinary strengths on the MIT campus -- science (the physics of radio waves), engineering (the mechanical appliances and their software systems) and business (policy implications and process design).
A key component of the course was The RFID Value Competition, a practical, hands-on project that called for teams of students to build physical RFID appliances. Designed to help students understand exactly how the technology works, the assignment was graded not only by the course professors, but also by executives from the retail industry, most notably two leaders of Staples, Inc. -- their President of US Stores and their VP of Strategy.
Staples was the sponsor of the competition, through the donation of the RFID kits and also by donating the time and space of their local laboratory store, where the appliances were installed and tested. Two trips to the laboratory store gave students the opportunity to analyze the store and, in the second visit, to install their RFID appliances in the laboratory. Prizes were awarded to the teams with the most compelling solution.
In addition to the technological aspects of the course, several lectures focused on RFID applications in supply chain management, from consumer behavior to warehousing and production. Final lectures focused on future business models and industry initiatives.
The course was directed by Professor Sanjay Sarma, co-founder of MIT's Auto-ID Center (now EPCglobal), and involved prominent lecturers such as Kevin Ashton, former executive director of the Auto-ID Center, and Brian Subirana, a visiting professor from IESE Business School in Barcelona
For more information on the MIT Auto-ID Labs, including courses this summer, contact Toni-Marie Pommet, tel: 617 258 5807, email: tmpommet@mit.edu.