An Australian company is on the verge of commercially launching a smart tag system that will be used to provide complete information on a product's journey from its origin to the end-user.
The SensaData Smart-r-Tag was developed by La Trobe University's Centre for Technology Infusion, and the technology was recently named the iAwards Industrial & Primary Industries Winner for the state of Victoria.
The core of the Smart-r-Tag technology is a miniaturised system-on-a-microchip, which integrates next-generation super-high-frequency RFID technology as well as sensing, data logging and on-chip analytics.
The Smart-r-Tag has undergone successful trials with a leading grower and packer of fruit and vegetables, and is due to be commercially available in 2018.
The Smart-r-Tag can be used with with food and other condition-sensitive goods such as pharmaceuticals, will provide complete information on its journey throughout the supply chain.
The Smart-r-Tags can be attached to a carton, crate or pallet and will show the product’s location, temperature, surrounding air-quality and handling throughout its transit from supplier to wholesaler, distributor and retailer. If a product is damaged or spoiled, the tag will prove where, when and how it occurred.
The Smart-r-Tag will help with food safety regulations compliance, by proving that a product has been kept in optimum condition at all times. This can be very important, because the shelf-life of perishables can be greatly influenced by the temperatures they are exposed to. Strawberries, for example, have a shelf-life increase from three days to 10 days if they are kept at a constant 1°C rather than being exposed to a temperature of 5°C. For seafood, the shelf-life increases from one to five days.
The food industry will be able to leverage the data from the tag system to decrease costs, reduce spoilage and waste, and reduce emissions from food waste.
The Smart-r-Tags are engineered to be reused once they finish their journey, helping keep costs down.
"The significant reduction of wastage and spoiling of perishable produce and high-value drugs and vaccines will mean the tags quickly pay for themselves," says SensaData CEO Scott McKenzie. "The tags are small, powerful, low cost and reusable."
With Smart-r-Tags in the final phase of development, SensaData is seeking commercial partners to launch the product.