 Poster: A snowHead
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Following on from the "Now I'm really annoyed" thread...
This press release from electronics manufacturer EM Microelectronic:
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RFID circuit hits the ski slopes!
Robust, passive ski transponder EM4026 makes handling of ski rental easy and help to deter theft;
MARIN, Switzerland – April 5, 2005 – EM Microelectronic, an electronic systems company of the Swatch Group and the world's largest supplier of RFID ICs, has developed in cooperation with Skidata and EC-Passage a transponder chip, the EM4026, which greatly facilitates the handling and identification of rented skis or snowboards in ski resorts.
The EM4026 chip can be read with a contactless reader operating at 125 kHz, a frequency range allowing for best reading performance in wet conditions or in close proximity to metallic parts. The battery-less transponder, which contains the chip connected only to a small antenna, is integrated into the ski at manufacturing time and is therefore invisible and tamper-protected. An on-chip voltage limiter prevents the chip from intentional or accidental destruction. It is powered by the reader field and can be operated at temperatures down to -40°C (or -40°F). It features anticollision, meaning that several tags can be read simultaneously in the area of the field detection. Each individual chip features a unique factory programmed 64 bit identification number. The Tag Talk First protocol enables a cost effective chip implementation and avoids interferences with existing contactless access control systems near ski lifts.
In ski rental shops, tagged items can be identified and attributed to customers very easily, making the process of delivery and return of rented equipment more accurate and speedier. Furthermore, with readers in lift boarding areas, more than 100 tags in the field can be counted and identified simultaneously. This will simplify the automatic location of stolen or lost equipment.
EM Microelectronic and RFID technology have already been present on ski slopes for over ten years in access control with Skidata. Today most ski resorts in the European Alps are using RFID chips and system for contactless access control to the lift boarding areas. With its partners, EM Microelectronic is also a world leader in supplying RFID chips for ski applications. |
All the techie data here: http://www.emmicroelectronic.com/Products.asp?IdProduct=222
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I drive past them when I go to the office  Nice photo of the lake on the jobs page.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Frosty the Snowman, sure, I work but I'm not obsessed about it
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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RFID would allow identification by someone with a reader but with current technology there's little it's going to do to prevent theft and re-use in a different resort. However, with powerful enough readers you could have portals on access roads, as well as at ski lifts in resorts, that would identify stolen skis. Definitely a positive move.
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ise, I used to work for them! Or more accurately, I spent six months living in a hotel in Neuchatel designing a chip for them. Interesting experience!
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FAQ
. Anyone that gets as much skiing in as you, and works, has my total respect 
