Practically neighbor to Barcoding, Inc., Johns Hopkins’ opened its new 1.6 million-square-foot building earlier this month. Equipped with a real-time location system (RTLS), the hospital is able to monitor their staff, equipment and carts throughout the building.

The RTLS solution is a hybrid of infrared (IR) and RFID technology and emplys asset tags, employee badges, IR and RFID readers and software to manage the data. Tags send an IR signal to IR sensors located within an area of the building, while simultaneously sending RFID transmission via 433 MHz to RFID sensors. For every 10 IR sensors, there is one RDID sensor, providing room-level accuracy. For every 24 sensors, a collector captures IR read data and forwards the information to a gateway, which is then sent directly to a back-end system via a wired connection.

The RTLS system allows for nearby nurses to be alerted in the event of a patient needing immediate assistance. The first nurse who enters the room will cancel the alert, as the RFID sensors will recognize which nurse has arrived. In addition, by logging into the system via a computer, staff can view the real-time location of other workers and equipment.

In addition to tracking staff and equipment, the RTLS plays a huge roll in Johns Hopkins’ food-service system. Towlines were constructed within tunnels beneath the hospital, automating the deliver of approximately 400 food carts. The carts even have a hot and cold compartment and software can be configured to detect when the temperature exceeds an acceptable level. Once the cart passes through the tunnel and arrives at its appropriate location, food service staff is alerted and proceed to deliver food.

Johns Hopkins is happy with their RTLS solution, but plans to reevaluate later this summer, determining the next phase of adoption—and potential—for the hospital.

Learn more about RTLS solutions.

When it comes to proof of delivery (POD) documents, invoices, payment receipts, pick lists and other documents, choosing the right materials to print them on is of the utmost importance.

Direct thermal paper is much different than standard paper—it contains chemicals that allow the paper to produce an image once heat is applied, and there are many different formulations to choose from. While the materials may look the same, the chemical consistency of the material affects its resistance to external factors, such as moisture and heat. In fact, there are many factors that should be taken into consideration when choosing thermal paper to best suite your needs.

Heat
When temperatures exceed 140˚ F, direct thermal materials will chemically react and become unreadable. If documents are left in vehicles, where the internal temperature can reach 150˚F in the summer, special consideration needs to be taken. Some thermal materials are formulated to withstand higher temperatures, so think about how and where you will be using them before choosing.

Moisture
If your documents will be exposed to moisture, either because they are issued outdoors or will be stored in a humid area, it’s important to select paper with additional moisture resistance or a synthetic material.

Thickness
Thicker paper is generally more durable and perceived to be higher quality, but the thicker the material, the less of it there is per roll, resulting in fewer documents that can be printed before needing to change the roll. Consider how often staff will be able to take the time to change the roll vs. your desired level of thickness.

Archivability
If you are going to need to store and reference documents for a long period of time, you need to choose a durable paper and store it under the proper conditions.

Topcoating
While all thermal papers have a basecoat and a thermal coat, not all have a topcoat, which provides an extra layer of protection. They can even be formulated to provide protection against specific things, such as water, sunlight or humidity.

Once you decide where your document will need to be and what it will need to be exposed to, you can choose a material that will best suite your needs. Zebra Technologies offers a large selection of thermal materials, both paper and synthetic that will be able to support all of your documents’ needs. Learn more about their product offering.

I recently came across an interesting article in a recent post from Supply Chain Brain on the benefits of laser technology.

When choosing between laser technology or camera technology for your barcode scanner, there are a lot of different factors with each industry to consider.

Cost
Laser technology used in barcode scanners is much more cost effective, as the total cost of ownership is much lower than with cameras.

Maintenance
Laser-based barcode scanners are much more simpler and easier to maintain.

Barcode Orientation
If you don’t have control over the orientation of your barcodes, then you may want to bypass laser technology and choose a camera-based option, which allows for omni-directional barcode scanning.

Barcode Symbology
The type of barcode you need to scan greatly affects your choice in barcode scanner—if you need to scan 2D barcodes, you’ll want to pick a scanner with those capabilities.

However, the industry truly determines the kind of barcode scanner you might need—warehousing and conveyor applications may want the omni-directional capabilities of camera-based barcode technology, where as those in the retail industry may just need a simple laser scanner.

Share your thoughts on barcode scanning within your industry by commenting below, or on our Facebook or twitter pages.

The Washington Nationals recently upgraded their fan experience by adding RFID into the mix. Now, fans can manage their tickets, food and beverage purchases using RFID and are able to receive special rewards and offers.

The solution replaces paper tickets with a high-frequency (HF) RFID card, reducing the amount of time fans spend in line to enter the park. For now, the RFID system is being piloted with season ticket holders.

When season ticket holders enter the park, they simply need to have their RFID-enabled card through them and walk through an automated turnstile. From there, fans can use their card throughout the game to make purchases. The more purchases, the more points—the more rewards.

“It’s not about getting fans through turnstiles,” says Andy Feffer, the Nationals’ COO. “It’s about looking at ticketing as a three-dimensional experience.”

RFID has become an increasingly popular method of ticketing. If you’ve had an RFID ticketing experience, share how it affected your enjoyment by commenting below, or on our Facebook or twitter pages.

Discover how an ID badge printer played a crucial role in the sport of dragon boat racing.

The International Dragon Boat Federation, the governing body for the team water sport of dragon boat racing, holds various races through the year. When competitors arrived at a race, they would receive a cardboard card with their name typed on it, and it often ended up falling in the water, being destroyed. Each championship had a different way of producing these name cards, using different databases.

The International Dragon Boat Federation needed a solution to track and identify competitors across all of their competitions. After hearing about Zebra Technologies, they contacted them for a solution. Zebra suggested their ZXP Series 3 Zebra Printer, a best-in-class thermal card printer.

After consolidating all of the databases into one, the International Dragon Boat Federation can now print a common card with competitors’ information, photo and even a PIN number that stays with them throughout their racing career. Best of all, since it’s plastic, it’s waterproof.

Dave Bangs, a dragon boat racing competitor, believes that the ID cards add professionalism to the sport, in addition for making it easier and saving time for boat marshals to check IDs.

Watch the video below to see the dragon boats—and the ID cards—in action.