A Local and Remote Radio Frequency Identification Learning Environment

1
Wireless and Mobility Research Group, Institute
of Technology Tralee, Ireland

• A Local and Remote Radio Frequency Identification
  Learning Environment
• Andrew Shields David Butcher

2
Overview

• What is RFID?
• Remote Laboratories
• RFID Education
• Interactivity
• Remote RFID Learning Environment System Overview
• Conclusions

3
Introduction

• There are a number of avenues that can be
  followed in the area of RFID education, depending
  on the requirements of the students.
• This project will concentrate on the use of
  Remote Laboratories in aiding RFID Education
• The primary objective is to develop suitable PC
  based laboratory experiments for RFID education.

4
What is RFID?

• Used for automatic identification of items.
• Walmart
• US Department of Defence
• Tesco
• Others
• RFID equipment consists of
• RFID reader, also known as an interrogator.
• Antenna for wireless communication
• Tags used to store digital information on an
  embedded chip.
• The tag also contains an antenna for
  communicating with the reader

5
What is RFID?

• RFID provides an advantage over bar code
  technology
• Non-line of sight
• Ultra High Frequency (UHF) equipment has enhanced
  the suitability of RFID in the supply chain.
• Potential replacement of existing barcode
  technologies

6
Remote Laboratories

• Interaction with hardware is an important aspect
  of the learning experience.
• Remote laboratory experiments using CBL, allow
  the investigation of real objects in real time
  and provide hands-on experience.
• Students can conduct remote experiments by
  controlling and viewing hardware and record the
  results.
• For the design of these types of environments,
  the following aspects are important
• On the client's side, only standard web browser
  software independent of the operating system
  should be necessary.

7
RFID Education

• RFID industry is in the midst of a
  transformation.
• Agreement on RFID standards
• Many steps involved in implementing an RFID
  solution.
• Difficult to know where to begin!
• Different frequencies,
• Tags,
• Readers,
• Middleware
• Industry demand for higher accuracy and read
  rates from RFID increases complexity.

8
RFID Education

• Few individuals have this level of knowledge
• Therefore a greater focus needs to be put on RFID
  education.
• RFID courses generally offer a broad base of
  general RFID knowledge.
• Many of these introductory courses typically
  cover information regarding how RFID technology
  works,
• Network elements,
• Technology standards
• General applications of the technology.
• Some RFID laboratory activities

9
Remote Learning

• One of the most exciting new trends in education
  is the use of remote learning.
• Remote learning can have a number of advantages
  over a conventional classroom.
• Some students are reserved and shy by nature and
  are reluctant to ask questions or may not ask
  even a single question throughout a course.
• In a remote learning class with technical
  support, the reserved students excel - they can
  ask as many questions as they want.
• Remote Learning should to be considered in any
  learning environment.

10
Interactivity

• Interaction is an important concept
• Research has shown that students' retention of
  knowledge increased from 20 to 75 when students
  interact with the teaching materials.
• Difficult to use interfaces may affect the
  usefulness of the learning environment.
• May lead to misinterpretations or results and
  distract from the learning experience.

11
Interactivity

• In the traditional learning procedure.
• first step is a lecture supported by a laboratory
  session.
• A possible alternative is that, after an
  introductory lecture, the next lecture could use
  a CBL environment.
• Using CBL, the students have greater flexibility
  and can utilise different time frames for
  learning each lecture.

12
Computer Based Learning

• Using CBL, students can use Internet access to
  complete a series of remote experiments.
• These may require trial and error cycles, linked
  into each lecture.
• Students acquire a certain amount of knowledge
  about the subject during lectures.
• Afterwards the CBL re-enforces the material.
• Each student should give the lecturer feedback,
  regarding the benefits, and drawbacks of the CBL
  environment.

13
Remote RFID Learning Environment System Overview

• Takes from and builds upon a number of existing
  systems.
• These were adapted to fit the requirements of an
  RFID learning environment.
• Allows remote RFID experiment setup (RFID Readers
  and sensors) to be accessed by students.
• The system and can be separated into two distinct
  domains.
• Students accessing the system using a web
  browser.
• The system setup at the research centre.

14
Remote RFID Learning Environment System Overview
15
Web Interface

• Acts as a gateway between the remote client
  workstations and the laboratory server.
• The Laboratory Server is directly connected to
  the RFID equipment
• The student using the web interface can move the
  RFID tags relative to the reader.

16
Laboratory Server

• A stepper motor interfaced to the Laboratory
  Server is used to control the distance from the
  tag to the reader.
• A prototype electro-mechanical platform was
  developed to control the movement of an RFID tag
  along the horizon axis.
• This contained a stepper motor that interfaced to
  a PC using a custom built stepper motor control
  circuit.
• This can be used to determine the optimal range
  of the tags for differing tag frequencies for the
  reader.

17
Stepper Motor and Platform
Horizontal movement
Motor
18
Conclusions

• Lecturers need awareness
• To have a general view of the class
• Monitor the class progress,
• Detect problems in order to intervene in time.
• Students need awareness
• To have a view about their position in comparison
  to other groups.
• To find potential collaborators to exchange
  documents, ideas, to ask for help.
• CBL systems play an important role in
  facilitating the teaching and learning processes.

19
Conclusions

• Aims to improve the proliferation of RFID into
  the educational sector.
• The suggested environment provides
• A way of giving students practical RFID
  experience at a low cost.
• Removes the need for expertise in setting up
  equipment.
• RFID funding may not be available in smaller
  schools and colleges.
• The RFID CBL system may be enhanced by
• Adding active RFID readers and sensor tags to the
  remote equipment.
• Sensor tags may, for example, include temperature
  data and motion detection capabilities.
• Alternative communication solutions could use
  other distributed computing paradigms such as
  COM, CORBA or RMI.
• More advanced platform to control the movement of
  the tag and reader