Ohio University's Center for Automation Identification

By Alecia Bombara

Todd Myers, Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial Technology, demonstrates how tags and readers communicate.

The Center for Automatic Identification at Ohio University is the nation's first university-based research center dedicated exclusively to the study of Automatic Identification Capture (AIDC). Ohio University, located in Athens, OH, established the Center in 1988 in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology.

The Center serves as an unbiased, university-based, non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the use of automatic identification and data capture tools. The Center has a two-fold mission: to perform technical research in various AIDC areas and to educate users. This year the Center will see a change in leadership as founder and director Dr. James Fales retires and Dr. Kevin Berisso assumes the directorship. Additional Center personnel include Todd Myers, RFID Researcher, and various graduate students. The Center also has the ability to integrate engineering specialists within the Russ College, such as computer scientists, electrical engineers or mechanical engineers as research projects require.

The primary goal of the Center is to conduct research that will open up new and exciting possibilities in AIDC. The Center works with all forms of automatic identification including magnetic stripe, voice recognition, and touch memory. Major research includes comprehensive barcode testing, such as the "Datamatrix and PDF 417 Data Integrity Test," which established base line reliability for two-dimensional barcode symbologies. Another example of research includes performance testing for a prominent RFID equipment manufacturer. Currently, the Center is conducting research activities with NASA involving x-ray fluorescence and nano-codes.

The Center for Automatic Identification is well equipped with new, state-of-the-art equipment that includes portable data collection terminals, RFID readers and antennas in multiple frequency ranges, magnetic stripe readers, and encoders. This equipment is used by faculty members and graduate students to analyze and solve current business problems. Currently, graduate students have been conducting research on voice recognition, barcoding, and RFID data transmission and interference. Additional topics include magneto-optical imaging, direct part marking, and print quality verification.

Partners in Research

Much of the equipment in the Center has been generously donated by various software and equipment manufacturing companies. Recent donations include integrated barcode and voice capture portable data terminals, barcode verification equipment, EPC Gen 2 RFID readers and antennas, EPC Gen 2 RFID enabled printers and labels, and barcode printing software that supports RFID encoding.

Research is conducted for companies on a contract basis, and since many companies are looking to obtain a competitive advantage, the Center is sensitive to the proprietary needs of companies. This will allow the company to capitalize on the funded research while still allowing the Center to publish its activities within peer-reviewed outlets. Previous examples of this type of research include proof of concept testing and performance testing in the areas of RFID, printing, and direct part marking.

The Center is an academic partner with Alien's RFID Solutions Center in Dayton, OH. As such, the Center is able to assist the Solutions Center with its educational efforts and is positioned to assist in any applied research that is needed, such as proof of concept or performance testing. The Center is also working with other universities on RFID performance levels in highly automated industrial environments.

The Center is also an academic partner with GlobeRanger Corporation, a Richardson, TX, based company providing software products for the RFID market. GlobeRanger has donated its iMotion software to the Center, which provides a critical infrastructure layer for managing devices, networks, data, and processes. This software enables real-time responses within an AIDC implementation. It will enable the Center to study how to rapidly develop, deploy, and manage RFID and mobile data collection solutions.

School Is in Session

As part of the educational mission, the Center offers an undergraduate class, "IT 354 Automatic Identification and Data Capture," in which Ohio University students study various AIDC technologies. During the class, students study real-world business applications such as inventory control, order picking, and shipping/receiving. Students complete hands-on activities with the Center's AIDC equipment. In the final project students develop a Web-based integrated AIDC system.

Additional educational activities include conducting custom workshops, training sessions, and presentations at various professional conferences. One example is the Center's participation in SupplyNet 2006 at the University of Indianapolis in May where the Center had an interactive booth, called "Gadget Central," where attendees were able to try RFID and label printing technologies hands on.

The Center is excited to announce the 20th annual Automatic Identification and Data Capture Technical Institute (AIDCTI). This week-long event is dedicated to the education of university professors and industry professionals. For professors, the goal is to help them better understand and teach the technical aspects of automatic identification and keyless data entry. Business and technical professionals will learn how to apply AIDC practices within their industries. Participants will learn technical details and business functions through presentations and hands-on activities with many different AIDC tools.

This year's AIDCTI will be July 23 to 28, 2006, and is sponsored by AIM Global, Ohio University, and corporate donors. The annual AIDCTI has helped professors and other business professionals to increase their understanding and familiarity with the latest automatic identification technologies, such as barcoding and RFID. In the past, over 400 professors have attended the institute from 20 countries, impacting thousands of students worldwide.

Any questions or comments can be directed to Dr. Kevin Berisso, who can be reached at 740-592-1453. Information about the center or the Automatic Identification and Data Capture Technical Institute can be found at www.ohio.edu/aidc.