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Things and technologies surrounding us have been changing very quickly lately, producing real revolutions in the way of life, although they usually pass “without noise and dust”. Not everyone thinks about it, taking everything as a natural change of day and night. But if you think about it, it’s very difficult to imagine today's world without these things. The Internet, mobile communications, GPS systems, handheld computers, digital photography and video shooting are only a small part of the iceberg. Today we are experiencing another such revolution, whose name is RFID.
... almost everyone knows
Yes, the phrase “contactless smart card” has been familiar to Moscow students and schoolchildren for several years, who use them extensively, for example, as travel tickets in the subway, and retirees in several districts of Moscow know the same card from a pilot project of a Muscovite’s social card. Many of those who use the Moscow and St. Petersburg metro on a daily basis also have such a map, as many of the municipal employees have it.
This card has a proper name - Mifare®. This name is clearly associated today with Philips, although it was developed by Micron, which was later purchased by Philips and became one of its divisions. We will talk about this card, its device and capabilities later, but for now let us recall once again the essence of the radio frequency identification technology (Radio Frequency IDentification) in order to understand its potential possibilities. Those who are already familiar with the basic principles can skip this section.

Security systems № 2 (56), 2004
L. Stasenko
The number of publications on this topic does not decrease for several years. This is due to the rapid development of the RFID technology itself, the development of new frequency bands, the regular appearance of new products and new applications, where the technology of contactless identification (or radio frequency identification - Radio Frequency IDentification) allows us to solve problems previously impossible for hardware and software.
From chaos to order, or background
The radio frequency identification technology came into being about 20 years ago and the entire period was shaped at a pace ahead of computer technology. Particularly intense RFID has been improved in the last 5-7 years. This can be explained by two factors: firstly, the development of microelectronics allowed to implement many ideas previously unavailable for purely technological reasons, and secondly, there were standards, the use of which ensured compatibility of technical solutions from different manufacturers. Before considering the specific issues of the use of contactless identification in various areas of human activity, let us dwell on the general principles of RFID systems and regulatory documents that define and will determine in the near future the course of design ideas.

Wal-Mart has long advised its customers to closely monitor the price cuts for its products, and today this world's largest retailer is following price cuts ... for radio frequency identification (RFID) systems. At the end of last year, she announced the mandatory transition of her stores to the RFID system. Since then, the price of RFID tags has halved, which, according to the company's specialists, will lead to a revolution in the world of retail and a complete change in supply chains. The largest Wal-Mart suppliers were asked to switch to RFID tags in their packages by January of next year. Suppliers of this largest retailer strive to meet deadlines, creating a real boom in the RFID market. Some analysts estimate that Wal-Mart alone will soon need a billion RFID chips per year, and the demand for these tiny devices will only grow. Other large retailers and some government agencies now require their partners to attach RFID tags to all types of packaging. So, in November last year, the US Department of Defense approved a new identification system at the federal level, requiring its suppliers to install RFID labels on industrial parts and pallets by 2005.