The field of printed electronics is clearly evolving, and it is interesting to hear the perspective of people who have long been involved in the field. From time to time, Printed Electronics Now will interview some of the leaders in the field, and present their viewpoints.
 
This week, we spoke with Dr. Bill Hardgrave, Dean and Wells Fargo Professor, Harbert College of Business, Auburn University. Dr, Hardgrave has worked in the field of RFID since 2003, when he started on Walmart’s RFID project. In 2005, Dr. Hardgrave founded the RFID Research Center, which is considered one of the world’s leading centers for examining the business value of RFID. He has worked with numerous companies, including Walmart, Macy’s, JCPenney, Dillard’s and Motorola on a variety of RFID projects.
 
Dr. Hardgrave is an accomplished scholar, having published several books and more than 85 articles, and is considered a thought leader in the field of RFID. In the past few years, he has received the Ted Williams Award from AIM Global as the most influential researcher in the field of RFID and the Special Achievement award from RFID Journal for his overall impact on the field.
 
Printed Electronics Now: How has the RFID industry evolved in recent years?
 
Dr. Bill Hardgrave: RFID started in retail around 2003 as a supply chain tool deployed at the pallet and case level. Over time, this emphasis shifted to deployment on individual items, with most of the use cases focused on in-store operations. Currently, omni-channel enablement is fueling RFID adoption as retailers struggle with how to move to an omni-channel environment, which requires accurate inventory visibility. RFID becomes the enabler for omni-channel as a tool to provide the requisite visibility.
 
Printed Electronics Now: What are the key advancements that have allowed for these changes to occur?
 
Dr. Bill Hardgrave: The technology has improved over time – RFID tags are better (more sensitive, a variety of form factors, etc.) and there are now a portfolio of reader types available, such as handheld readers, chokepoint portals, overhead readers, wearable readers, etc.
 
Printed Electronics Now: What are the technical hurdles that need to be overcome to move RFID forward?
 
Dr. Bill Hardgrave: RFID is not a plug-and-play technology at this point (in most cases). Thus, every store or distribution center becomes (at least partially) a unique deployment. The industry must move closer to a true plug-and-play. which would make it easier to deploy. The good news is that it has improved; but, it still has much to improve to get to plug-and-play.
 
Printed Electronics Now: What role does printing play in the field of RFID, and as more items are tagged, will printing play a key role?
 
Dr. Bill Hardgrave: One of the challenges to deploying RFID broadly is tagging – where will the tag be applied and who will apply it? An interesting solution that has been discussed the past few years is printed RFID tags. Some of the directions in printing tags being explored: (1) print a tag using electromagnetic ink (no chip); (2) print the antenna around a pre-installed chip (mass production); and (3) easily customize individual tags by printing the antenna around a pre-installed chip.
 
Printed Electronics Now: Where do you see the field of RFID advancing in both the near term and, say, 10 years from now?
 
Dr. Bill Hardgrave: In the near term (next 12-24 months), I believe we will see accelerated adoption as retailers realize the only way to become an omni-channel retailer is to adopt RFID to provide the necessary visibility. We are already seeing this happen, and I think the pace will quicken. In 10 years from now, we will not have conferences on RFID or RFID Labs at universities because the use of RFID will be mainstream and near ubiquitous. How many barcode conferneces or barcode labs in universities do we see today?
 
Printed Electronics Now: How is Auburn University helping to advance the field?
 
Dr. Bill Hardgrave: Auburn University’s RFID Lab focuses on the business value of RFID. For 11 years, the Lab has worked with most of the major retailers in the world on their RFID initiatives – understanding the value, the payback, and how to deploy the technology to solve a problem and achieve maximum value. Our involvement runs the gamut from helping to design the test in the stores, to collecting the data, to analyzing the data, to auditing the deployment, and most everything in between. The RFID Lab also serves as a testing facility for new tags, following the ARC process and GS1 standards for certifying and grading tags.