"This product launch represents the beginning of what we believe will be a string of products designed to address some glaring needs in the asset tracking market," said David Walker, CEO of Enable IPC Corporation. "Our experience in some of the latest power technologies, such as nanoparticle-enhanced ultracapacitors, combined with the expertise of two long-established RFID companies, has resulted in these tags, which are a game-changing answer to the limitations inherent in passive RFID systems."

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are used in dozens of applications, and the market for RFID systems has been estimated by a third party market researcher at nearly $6 billion and growing. They are used in applications as diverse as toll booths, livestock, department stores, oil rigs, warehouses, the military and much more.

RFID tags are devices that transmit data over radio frequencies. Most RFID tags are passive; that is, they use no power source and can be read from a limited distance. Tag manufacturers may sometimes use a battery to provide a boost of power that enhances the read range.

The Enable IPC S/Cap RFID Tag is very unique in that is does not use a battery to enhance the read range; rather, it uses an ultracapacitor. The advantage here is that ultracapacitors can outlast a battery by as much as 1000 times. In addition, the S/Cap RFID Tag utilizes a solar light panel to keep the ultracapacitor charged -- which Daniel Finch, President of Advanced ID (an RFID solutions company) called, "a very unique and brilliant solution to the issues of tag life, durability and read range."

Most competitive tags have read ranges of anywhere from 3 to 45 feet. The S/Cap RFID Tag range is as much as 75 feet.

In addition, a typical tag is covered by limited warranties of 90 days to 1 year. The S/Cap RFID Tag is covered by a 7 year limited warranty.

A complete description and link to a product specification sheet can be found here: http://rfid.enableipc.com

The Byron Bird Award for Excellence in a Research Publication was first presented in 1980. The award recipient, who must be a tenured College of Engineering faculty member, is chosen by a faculty committee. The publication may be a research paper or series of related research articles, a patent, or a textbook that has had a profound influence on research. The publication must be more than five years old, and have gained wide acceptance and been influential in the academic or industrial community.

The award is a memorial to Byron Bird. He received a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Iowa State University in 1912 and a graduate degree in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 1915. He served as a civil engineering professor at three universities and as a military officer in World Wars I and II. Though he had broad experience as a consulting engineer and as a city engineer, much of his professional career was dedicated to public service as a member of the U.S. Engineers' Office. He made major contributions to solving water supply problems related to the rapid growth of the Washington, D.C., area.