Sometimes the right answer isn’t a single technology.
By Mark Waterman and Mike Bannister
“We need RFID,” is a common request to our customer service line.
A customer has a specific Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) challenge that traditional barcode scanners can’t solve. Maybe it’s packaging that gets in the way of the scanner or a location in the warehouse that is just too high, too dark, or too far back to read.
Whichever the case, our standard response is: “What exactly are you trying to do?”
Your technical senses in the field.
Just like our human senses, different types of AIDC devices are capable of identifying specific kinds of data, and one may, or may not, be more appropriate than another.
Barcode scanners are your eyes in the field. They read printed or screened labels, require line-of-sight, and proper lighting to identify and retrieve data.
Radio Frequency ID (RFID) readers are capable of “listening” for data contained in tags, transferring that data wirelessly and avoiding the visual line-of-sight limitations of scanners.
Machine Vision scanners are a superset of barcode scanners, capable of automating visual inspections, and much more, with great speed and precision. There are two types of machine vision:
- Supervised or trained systems where you define a region of interest and software algorithms are responsible for verifying assembly, reading labels, measuring fill levels, and more.
- Unsupervised or deep learning systems that learn from image sets and flag exceptions for what it finds during an inspection or defect detection.
These technologies are forms of data input, the same way your senses are forms of perceptual input.
Technologies that are different, not better.
It’s important to note that each type of reader solves a specific set of challenges and that they often work together. There is no “better” solution. They’re just different.
Recently, a life sciences laboratory customer came to us with a challenge labeling and tracking biofluid samples stored in test tubes. Originally, they wanted to use RFID chips on each tube so they could track their exact location in the lab. However, they ran into a series of obstacles. The specimen tubes are too small to mount RFID antennas, they go through a harsh cleaning process that threatens the glue used to mount the chips, and the number of test tubes being tracked in the lab make RFID a prohibitively expensive option.
The more appropriate solution may turn out to be machine vision which can read barcode labels wrapped around multiple test tubes while detecting and recording the fluid levels in each tube – simultaneously. In addition, the test tubes can be inspected for the presence of a cap that has been properly screwed on.
Sometimes the right answer isn’t a single technology.
You may find that the best technology is more than one. In the case of hospital pharmaceuticals delivered to patient rooms, barcodes can identify individual pharmaceuticals assigned to a cart, while RFID is able to track the cart’s location through the facility as it moves.
In this case, “What’s on it” and “Where is it” are two questions, requiring two technologies, for one integrated answer.
In another example, from warehouse to retail or concrete-to-carpet inventory and location tracking, you may deploy RFID scanners for location tracking and barcode scanners in the aisles and at registers for SKU-level sales. You could actually accomplish both with an integrated barcode and RFID scanner.
Your AIDC Starting Points
When responding to customer questions about AIDC technology, we usually ask a series of simple diagnostic questions to narrow hundreds of device choices down to a more manageable number of potential solutions.
These questions serve as Your AIDC Starting Points and can help you with any AIDC reseller or manufacturer you’re working with.
1. What is the data source, and what form is it in?
Your data can present itself as a barcode label, an RFID tag, a machine-readable character, or a visual defect. Each of these points toward a different technology before you’ve asked any other questions.
2. What are your working conditions? (Including lighting, indoor/outdoor location, controlled or variable environment)
General purpose barcode scanners and machine vision cameras work in close up situations where the barcode quality must be high and free of debris or bubble wrap, RFID, on the other hand, communicates by radio frequency and can read through packaging, around corners, and across a room.
3. Where does the data go once you capture it (Will it trigger a process? Log to a system? Generate a report? Flag an outlier?)
Your answer here shapes not just your hardware selection, but any integration work that may be required. This can sometimes reveal a broader opportunity you hadn’t considered yet. For example, once data is captured, you could use a mobile label printer to provide immediate documentation or create a container label.
4. What’s your current workflow, and what have you already tried?
Understanding what hasn’t worked for you before can often be faster than starting from scratch. It helps us understand whether the problem you’re running across is due to technology, implementation, or application design.
5. What’s your realistic budget — and what does getting it wrong actually cost you?
The right solution at the right price is our starting point; total cost of ownership includes time, labor, error rates, and rework. This is usually a more honest number than just the price of the hardware alone.
Working with Dolphin Data Capture.
We are recognized as one of the largest OEM barcode scan engine suppliers in the world for clients ranging from Fortune 500 enterprises and top-tier medical device OEMs to agile small and mid-sized businesses.
We integrate the world’s leading barcode technology into medical devices for the top 10 OEM medical companies – where accuracy isn’t optional and people’s health depends on it.
If we can solve problems for them, we know we can solve problems for you.
Contact the Dolphin team at 516-405-3990 or info@dolphindc.com and have your questions ready!