For a technology that has been with us for more than 80 years , RFID ( radio frequency identification ) is as fresh and vital as ever
1973 1987 present
RFID first patented
The first patent for commercial RFID tags was granted in 1973 to Mario W . Cardullo , whose RFID tag had a rewritable memory . The same year , California entrepreneur Charles Walton received a patent for a passive transponder used to unlock a door without a key .
RFID goes public
France introduces an RFIDbased ‘ electronic toll collection ’ system to its road networks , which is still in use today . This is a faster alternative to traditional toll booths , where vehicles stop and the driver manually pays the toll with cash or a card . Thousands of such systems are now in use globally .
Ecommerce and omnichannel
RFID tech is pivotal to the Internet of Things and , with the pandemic seeing a seismic shift to ecommerce , retailers are using RFID to track inventory and deliver the flexibility , convenience and choice consumers increasingly expect in an omnichannel world .
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