Use of RFID asset management systems for monitoring analytical instrumentation

radio generation and transmission of radio signals by Ernst F. W. Alexanderson in 1906 signalled the beginning of modern radio communication and, subsequently, radio frequency identification (RFID). RFID is the convergence of radio broadcast technology and radar, although many of its early developments are not widely known due to the military significance of this technology. Most documented histories of RFID technology trace its development to the radio‐based identification systems from World War II, when the British Air Force used radar to distinguish Allied aircraft from enemy aircraft. Commercial development of RFID began in the late 1960s. Arguably the first and most widespread commercial use of RFID was in the development of electronic article surveillance (EAS) equipment to counter theft. Although this system could only detect the presence or absence of a tag, the tags themselves could be made cost‐effectively and provided an effective anti‐theft measure — an important application in the early commercialisation of the technology. Research and development by academic institutions, government laboratories and private companies led to applications for animal tracking, vehicle tracking and automated manufacturing. By Use of RFID asset management systems for monitoring analytical instrumentation