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.

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.

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 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.

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.

When choosing a route accounting solution, think about the size of your fleet and choose something that can be tailored to your needs. The most common route accounting situations—delivery, direct store delivery (DSD), pre-sales and peddle sales, all have slightly different requirements, so their solutions should not all be exactly the same.

Barcoding Inc. offers custom route-accounting solutions, for companies both large and small, with your special considerations in mind. Learn more about getting the right route accounting solution for you.

However, their paper-based solution left field technicians feeling disconnected, making it difficult to maintain precise inventory and compliance records.

Then, Family Respiratory discovered Barcoding, Inc. and soon enough, a mobile proof of delivery (POD) solution was in the works. Barcoding, Inc. created barcodes within a new inventory management application for every piece of equipment under federal control. Then, to track the products, Barcoding, Inc. deployed Intermec CN50 mobile computers to over 20 field technicians and respiratory therapists.

After training the staff to properly use their new handheld mobile computers, it was evident that quality improvement was underway. From inventory tracking, to receiving, shipping and accuracy, the Intermec CN50 allowed for real-time functionalities that improved the overall efficiency of the company.

After just a few months, Family Respiratory enjoys error ratios of .001 or less and can easily and quickly identify, locate and access specific products when needed. There’s also been a 90 percent reduction in paperwork, saving time and the environment, yet increasing accuracy.

Learn more about how Barcoding Inc. used the Intermec CN50 to help Family Respiratory increase efficiency and eliminate paper-based systems.

Although barcodes now play a significant role in the healthcare industry, you may not realize just how prevalent they are. In addition to barcode wristbands for adults, babies need them too.

As scary as it sounds, there have been incidents of errors involving newborns including breast feeding and worse—patient discharge. By using barcoded wristbands, hospitals can safely connect the right mother to the right child, connecting the child with their new electronic health record.

However, due to the size of the patient, infant patients can’t just have any barcoded wristband—they need something soft, safe and scalable. An infant’s skin is delicate, so it’s important to use wristband materials that are soft, hypoallergenic, flexible and non-abrasive. In addition to the feel of the wristband, the size needs to be small enough for an infant’s wrist, yet large enough to properly display a barcode.

Finding the right wristbands for infants in the hospital can be tough, but thankfully our friends at Zebra Technologies have put together a white paper entitled, “Key Considerations for Bar Coded Infant Wristband” to help hospitals make more informed decisions and keep newborns safe.

After Blackberry World 2012, there seemed to be one question on everyone’s mind—how will BlackBerry stay relevant in the increasingly competitive marketplace?

Approximately 65% of field service organizations indicated the use of smartphones by their field workers, yet only 18% indicated in interest increasing the number of devices running BlackBerry OS, compared to 29% looking to increase Android adoption and 26% looking to increase iOS adoption.

During BlackBerry World 2012, RIM provided a sneak peak at its BlackBerry10 operating system and also hinted at the launch of 4G-enabled tablets—but is this enough to keep BlackBerry in the marketplace?

Share your thoughts of BlackBerry usage in enterprise environments by commenting below, or on our Facebook or twitter pages.

In a recent Fortune interview, William Lynch, CEO of Barnes & Noble, discussed the company’s plans for the Nook tablet.

Leveraging a strategic partnership with Microsoft, Barnes & Noble plans on including NFC chips inside Nooks. By working with publishers, hardcover books could contain an embedded NFC chip with all of the editorial reviews featured on the company’s website. If a customer enters Barnes & Nobles with their Nook, they can simply walk up to any pictures, aisles, bestseller lists and touch the book. Then, information on the physical book will appear on their Nook, without having to do any typing or searching.

While there is no set date as to when this NFC experience will arrive, it is rumored to be some time this year.

Do you think an NFC-enabled Nook would be a good seller? And will that impact the iPad or iPhone getting NFC?

Share your thoughts by commenting below, or on our Facebook or twitter pages.