Invisible RFID Ink Safe For Marking and Tracking Cattle And People, Company Says
Pastor Dale Morgan
Invisible RFID Ink Safe For Marking, Tracking Cattle And People, Company
Says*
The process developed by Somark involves a geometric array of
micro-needles and an ink capsule, which is used to 'tattoo' an animal.
The ink can be detected from 4 feet away.
By K.C. Jones
InformationWeek
January 24, 2007 04:49 PM
A startup company developing chipless RFID ink has tested its product on
cattle and laboratory rats.
Somark Innovations announced this week that it successfully tested
biocompatible RFID ink, which can be read through animal hairs. The
passive RFID technology could be used to identify and track cows to
reduce financial losses from Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (mad cow
disease) scares. Somark, which formed in 2005, is located at the Center
for Emerging Technologies in St. Louis. The company is raising Series A
equity financing and plans to license the technology to secondary
markets, which could include laboratory animals, dogs, cats, prime cuts
of meat, and military personnel.
Chief scientist Ramos Mays said the tests provide a true
proof-of-principle and mitigate most of the technological risks in terms
of the product's performance. "This proves the ability to create a
synthetic biometric or fake fingerprint with biocompatible, chipless
RFID ink and read it through hair," he said.
Co-founder Mark Pydynowski said during an interview Wednesday that the
ink doesn't contain any metals and can be either invisible or colored.
He declined to say what is in the ink, but said he's certain that it is
100% biocompatible and chemically inert. He also said it is safe for
people and animals.
The process developed by Somark involves a geometric array of
micro-needles and a reusable applicator with a one-time-use ink capsule.
Pydynowski said it takes five to 10 seconds to "stamp or tattoo" an
animal, and there is no need to remove the fur. The ink remains in the
dermal layer, and a reader can detect it from 4 feet away.
"Conceptually, you can think of it in the same way that visible light is
reflected by mirrors," he said, adding that the actual process is
slightly different and proprietary.
The amount of information contained in the ink depends on the surface
area available, he said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture calls for a
15-digit number to track cattle. The first three digits are "840" for
the U.S. country code. The remaining digits are unique identifiers. The
numbers would link to a database containing more information.
"It can say where it has been, who it has talked to, who it has eaten
with, and who else it has been in contact with," Pydynowski said.
Ranchers and others in the agricultural industry can choose a covert
stamping system, which would make it impossible for cattle thieves to
tell which animals have been marked and easy for those checking for
stolen cattle to determine a cow's source. Pydynowski said the
technology is an improvement over ear tags, which can be detached from
cows and other products.
The technology could verify that cuts of meat originated in a
hormone-free environment, Pydynowski said, adding that consumers would
destroy the system by breaking down the ink when chewing the meat. In
other words, Big Brother wouldn't know whether someone ate a Big Mac or
a filet mignon, according to Pydynowski's explanation. However, the
government and agricultural producers and retailers could track e-coli
outbreaks in spinach, he said.
The ink also could be used to track and rescue soldiers, Pydynowski said.
"It could help identify friends or foes, prevent friendly fire, and help
save soldiers' lives," he said. "It's a very scary proposition when
you're dealing with humans, but with military personnel, we're talking
about saving soldiers' lives and it may be something worthwhile."