Qualcomm has announced Dragonwing  Q-6690  claimed to be the  first enterprise mobile processor to feature integrated UHF RFID capabilities.

The processor has built-in 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, and UWB, facilitating advanced proximity-aware experiences and robust global connectivity.

Its architecture supports form factors from ruggedized handhelds to retail POS systems and smart kiosks, providing OEMs and ODMs with a scalable, upgrade-ready platform and software-configurable feature packs for over-the-air updates.

The processor enables edge devices across retail, commercial, and industrial sectors, enabling smarter, proximity-aware interactions through its combination of integrated RFID, AI, and advanced connectivity.

OEMs incuding  Zebra, Honeywell, Urovo, HMD Secure, and CipherLab are  integrating this platform, with commercial devices anticipated soon, validating its market readiness.

Integrating RFID capabilities, eliminates the need for external RFID reader modules enabling smaller, more efficient device designs.

This integration eases the enablement of security-focused, contactless use cases such as access control, asset tracking, inventory management, and product authentication, ideal for retail, logistics, and industrial applications.

The device introduces software-configurable feature packs that let OEMs choose their offerings depending on the computing demands, multimedia capabilities, camera support, or peripheral configurations they need—with the ability to upgrade over the air without redesigning hardware.

This modular approach not only accelerates time to market and reduces certification overhead but also extends product lifecycles by enabling over-the-air upgrades as customer needs evolve.

By David Manners Posted on 27th August 2025 | Modified on 26th August 2025

https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/qualcomm-adds-2025-08/

If your company's fixed assets include anything from servers and industrial tools to medical carts and metal shelving, you've likely faced the "metal problem" in asset management. Traditional labels fall off, barcodes become unreadable, and standard UHF RFID tags simply fail when placed directly on metal surfaces. This blind spot can turn your asset tracking efforts into a guessing game.

Fortunately, flexible anti-metal RFID tags are specifically engineered to solve this exact challenge.

The Invisible Shield: How Flexible Anti-Metal Tags Work

Unlike standard RFID tags that detune and become unreadable on metal, flexible anti-metal tags incorporate a special protective layer. This layer acts as a barrier, preventing the metal surface from interfering with the tag's antenna. The result is a tag that performs reliably even when directly attached to metal assets.

Their flexibility allows them to conform to curved surfaces like cylinders or machinery housings, ensuring a strong bond and consistent performance. Combined with traditional paper/polyester RFID labels for non-metal items like office furniture and electronics, you can achieve 100% asset coverage.

Three Transformative Benefits for Your Business

1. Achieve Unprecedented Inventory Accuracy: Imagine completing a full inventory of a server room or a workshop in minutes, not days. With a handheld RFID reader, you can accurately read dozens of tagged metal assets simultaneously without line-of-sight. This boosts inventory accuracy from around 80% to over 99.9%, eliminating costly manual errors and "ghost assets."

2. Gain Real-Time Visibility into Asset Movement: By installing fixed RFID readers at key doorways and choke points, the system can automatically record the movement of tagged metal assets. Receive instant alerts if high-value equipment leaves an authorized area, drastically reducing loss and enabling true real-time tracking.

3. Automate the Entire Asset Lifecycle: From procurement and into warehouse to calibration, maintenance, and disposal, every touchpoint can be automatically logged. This data provides an audit trail, ensures timely maintenance, and offers invaluable insights for optimizing asset utilization and financial planning.

The Bottom Line

Flexible anti-metal RFID tags are more than just a technical upgrade; they are the key to unlocking operational efficiency, enhancing security, and making data-driven decisions about your most critical physical assets.

Ready to see what your asset management could be? Contact SeeMore IoT to learn how our high-performance flexible anti-metal tags can bring your metal assets into clear view.

Picture this: You're in a smart hotel, and you've just ordered room service. A few minutes later, a discreet robotic cart glides silently out of the service elevator, navigates down the corridor, and stops precisely at your door. It doesn't hesitate at intersections. It doesn't get confused by identical-looking hallways. It just arrives.

What you don't see is the invisible infrastructure guiding every move—RFID tags embedded in the ceiling, inside elevator shafts, and above doorways, creating a hidden map that only robots can read.

The Indoor Navigation Challenge

For service robots operating in hotels, hospitals, and office buildings, GPS is useless indoors. While cameras and LiDAR help robots avoid obstacles and map their surroundings, they have fundamental limitations. Cameras fail in low light. LiDAR sees structure but doesn't inherently "understand" location context. In environments with long, repetitive corridors—think hotel hallways or hospital wings—visual navigation alone can lead to cumulative errors and lost robots.

The Infrastructure Approach: RFID from Above

Enter ceiling-mounted RFID infrastructure. Unlike traditional approaches where robots carry RFID readers to scan floor tags, this inverse architecture places the intelligence in the building itself .

Here's how it works:

• Fixed RFID readers are installed discreetly in ceilings, above doorways, inside elevator shafts, and at key decision points throughout the building

• Robots carry passive RFID tags that identify them to the infrastructure

• Each reader covers a defined zone, creating a network of location checkpoints

When a robot passes beneath a ceiling-mounted reader, the reader detects its tag and logs its precise location. This information can be used for real-time tracking, navigation verification, and integration with building management systems.

Elevator Navigation: The Critical Test

The elevator presents one of the toughest challenges for autonomous robots. How does a robot know it's reached the correct floor? How does the system verify successful transit?

This is where RFID infrastructure truly shines. By installing readers at fixed points inside elevator shafts—on the shaft wall at each floor level—the system can detect when a robot-equipped tag passes that point . When the elevator car moves, the reader at each floor reads the robot's tag, confirming floor-by-floor progress with absolute certainty.

Some advanced systems achieve good accuracy for elevator leveling detection, far surpassing traditional mechanical switches . This precision ensures robots exit only at their intended destination—critical for applications like medication delivery in hospitals or room service in hotels.

Beyond Elevators: A Network of Intelligence

The same principle extends throughout the building:

• Ceiling-mounted readers above doorways confirm when robots enter or exit rooms

• Readers at corridor intersections verify that robots take correct paths

• Readers near service areas trigger specific behaviors—like announcing arrival or requesting human assistance

This infrastructure approach offers several advantages over robot-mounted readers:

Real-World Applications

Hospital Logistics
In hospitals, robots transport medications, linens, and lab samples across multiple floors. Ceiling-mounted RFID readers at nursing stations and medication rooms confirm deliveries, while shaft-mounted readers ensure correct floor navigation. This eliminates the risk of critical items reaching the wrong ward .

Hotel Service
Hotels deploying room service robots face the challenge of identical corridors and numerous rooms. Ceiling-mounted readers above each guest room door create unique location fingerprints, guiding robots to the correct door every time.

Smart Buildings
As buildings become smarter, RFID infrastructure enables seamless integration between robots and building systems. When a robot approaches an elevator, the building knows its identity and destination before it arrives, pre-scheduling elevator cars and optimizing traffic flow .

The Future: Buildings That See

We're moving toward an era where buildings actively participate in the services they host. Ceiling-mounted RFID infrastructure transforms passive structures into intelligent environments—spaces that see the robots moving through them and guide their every step.

For facility managers and automation planners, the message is clear: the most reliable robot navigation doesn't depend on smarter robots alone. It depends on smarter buildings.

Beyond Basic Tracking: How Gen2X is Making RAIN RFID Smarter, Faster, and More Secure

Discover how the Gen2X protocol upgrade transforms RAIN RFID. Learn about Impinj Integra data integrity, Tag Quieting, Protected Mode, and how they solve real-world inventory, security, and privacy challenges.

For years, RAIN (UHF) RFID has been the workhorse for asset tracking and inventory management. But as deployments scale and applications demand more intelligence, the foundational Gen2 protocol is reaching its limits. Enter Gen2X—a suite of enhancements that doesn't just improve RFID; it redefines its capabilities.

Why Gen2X Matters: Solving Core Business Challenges

Imagine a world where every tagged item is guaranteed to be readable for its entire lifecycle, where warehouse read points are 100% accurate even when surrounded by hundreds of other tags, and where consumer privacy is seamlessly built into the retail journey. Gen2X makes this possible.

• Eradicate Bad Tags with Impinj Integra™: Traditional RFID offers no guarantee that a written tag will retain its data. Impinj Integra™ introduces chip-level data integrity. Features like Memory Self-Check and MarginRead automatically validate the health and write-strength of Impinj M700 and M800 series chips. This means you can catch and reject defective or poorly encoded tags before they enter your supply chain, saving immense costs in rework and failed reads.

• Achieve Flawless Accuracy with Tag Quieting: In a busy loading dock, a reader must distinguish between pallets already on a truck and those still being loaded. Gen2X Tag Quieting allows the reader to temporarily silence counted tags. The result? A dramatic reduction in interference and near-perfect accuracy for dynamic, high-density operations. No more double-counting or missed items.

• Bridge Retail & Consumer Trust with Protected Mode™: The journey of an RFID tag shouldn't end at checkout. Impinj Protected Mode™ lets retailers "turn off" a tag's public visibility at the point of sale, addressing consumer privacy concerns. For legitimate returns, a secure PIN reactivates the tag for verification, providing a powerful tool against fraud. It's a win-win for security and customer experience.

Smarter Infrastructure, Lower TCO

By enabling longer read ranges, faster inventory speeds, and intelligent tag management, Gen2X allows you to achieve the same—or better—results with fewer readers, less manual intervention, and higher reliability. This translates directly to a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) for your RAIN RFID infrastructure.

The future of RFID is not just about reading more tags; it's about reading them intelligently. Gen2X provides the essential toolbox to build that future today.

Ready to explore Gen2X-enabled solutions? Contact our team to learn how our latest Impinj E710-based readers leverage these features to deliver superior performance.

For jewelry retailers, inventory accuracy isn't just about efficiency—it's about profitability and security. Traditional manual counting methods are prone to error and leave you vulnerable to loss. Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) RFID technology is changing the game.

Here’s how:

1. Instantaneous Full Inventory: Conduct a complete store inventory in minutes, not days, with 99.9% accuracy. Say goodbye to lengthy store closures for stocktaking.

2. Enhanced Loss Prevention: Gain visibility into item movement. Receive alerts if high-value pieces are moved without authorization, deterring both internal and external theft.

3. Exceptional Customer Service: Locate any item in the back vault or showcase in seconds, allowing you to answer customer inquiries confidently and close sales faster.

4. Streamlined Operations: Simplify receiving, transferring items between locations, and cycle counts. Reduce labor costs and free up staff for customer-facing tasks.

5. Improved Authentication: Each RFID tag carries a unique, unalterable identity, adding a layer of security against counterfeits.

By implementing an RFID solution, jewelry stores can transform their inventory from a liability into a strategic, visible asset.

In today’s fast-paced world, having a reliable companion on your wrist is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity. The Y3 Smart Watch combines style, technology, and health monitoring into a sleek, 1.88-inch high-definition large screen. Its vibrant dynamic dials, 3D UI interface, and three-ring display dial ensure every glance at your wrist is engaging and informative.

Health and fitness tracking are at the core of Y3. Continuous heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen detection, and full-day sleep tracking provide real-time insights into your well-being. The four-mode breathing relaxation guide helps manage stress, while professional sports algorithms accurately track your performance across running, cycling, and mountain climbing. Your wrist becomes a personal trainer, motivating and guiding you throughout the day.

Connectivity has never been easier. With Bluetooth call functionality, you can answer calls, end calls, and quickly access call records directly from your watch. Notifications for messages and other apps keep you updated without reaching for your phone. Built-in intelligent features like weather updates, alarms, stopwatch, and calculator make everyday life simpler and more organized.

The Y3 Smart Watch is designed for durability and convenience. IP67 waterproofing ensures reliability in any environment, while touch-free charging and long battery life keep you powered throughout the day. Lightweight and integrated, it provides comfort without compromising style.

Whether you are a fitness enthusiast, a busy professional, or simply someone who values convenience, the Y3 Smart Watch elevates your wristwear experience. It’s more than a watch—it’s your all-in-one assistant.

Wearable technology is evolving beyond watches and bracelets. Today, innovation is becoming smaller, smarter, and more convenient. The new North Edge Smart Ring V10 is a perfect example of how advanced technology and elegant design can work together to support a healthier lifestyle.

Designed as a fashionable accessory as well as a powerful health tracker, the V10 integrates multiple monitoring features into a compact and comfortable ring. Equipped with high-precision sensors, it can continuously monitor heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and blood pressure, providing valuable insights into your daily health conditions. The ring automatically records sleep data during the night and generates a detailed sleep report, helping users understand their sleep quality and build better sleep habits.

For active users, the V10 also supports multiple sports modes and activity tracking, allowing you to monitor calories burned and daily movement more efficiently. All data can be synchronized with mobile health platforms such as Apple Health, making it easy to manage your fitness progress.

The V10 also includes women’s health management, offering menstrual cycle prediction and reminders based on user feedback and algorithm analysis. This thoughtful feature provides additional convenience for female users who want to better understand and track their health.

Despite its small size, the smart ring delivers impressive durability and performance. With IP68 waterproof protection, it can be worn during hand washing, showering, or even swimming. The magnetic fast-charging design allows the ring to fully charge in about one hour, while the long-lasting battery ensures reliable daily use.

You want your business to stand out and adapt quickly. Custom solutions give you an edge in today’s market. With an NFC Sticker Label, you can choose the size, material, and programming that fit your needs. You can link digital content, automate tasks, and match your brand’s look. These options help you create a unique experience for your customers.

NFC Sticker Label Design Customization

Size and Shape Options

You can pick the size and shape you need. NFC Sticker Label comes in round or square shapes. Choose a small label for tags. Pick a bigger one for displays. This lets you use stickers on many things. You can put them on bottles, boxes, or curved items. The right size and shape makes products look neat.

Material and Finish Choices

You have many material choices for your NFC Sticker Label. Paper gives a classic look. PVC is softer and lasts longer. PET is strong for tough surfaces. Each material has its own good points. You can pick glossy or matte finishes. Glossy stickers shine and stand out. Matte stickers feel smooth and modern. These options help match stickers to your product and brand.

Branding and Personalization

You can make each NFC Sticker Label with your own design. Add your logo, brand colors, or artwork. You can print serial numbers or barcodes for tracking. This helps build your brand identity. Customers will see your care for details. Personalization helps organize products and manage inventory. Custom stickers show your business values quality and style.

Programmable Features

Linking Digital Content

You can use an NFC Sticker Label to connect your customers to digital content. When someone taps their phone on the sticker, they can open a website, view a menu, or watch a video. The N-tag213 chip inside the sticker holds up to 144 bytes of data. This is enough to store a web link or a short message. You can update the content anytime. This makes it easy to share new information with your customers.

Automating Business Tasks

You can program each NFC Sticker Label to help with daily tasks. For example, you can set up stickers for quick payments or ticketing. When a customer taps the sticker, the system can process a payment or check a ticket. You can also use the stickers for inventory. Place them on boxes or shelves. Scan them to update stock levels or track items. The N-tag213 chip works with most NFC-enabled devices. This makes it simple to add automation to your business.

• Use for cashless payments
• Speed up ticket checks
• Track inventory with a tap

Secure Data and Tracking

System Integration

Enhancing Customer Experience

NFC Sticker Label can help your customers have a better time. When you put these stickers on products, people can tap their phones. They get information right away. They can read instructions, check if something is real, or join a rewards program. This fast access makes customers feel close to your brand. You give them an easy way to connect with your business. Most people already have NFC on their phones, so they do not need anything extra.

Streamlining Operations

NFC sticker labels can make your daily work simpler. Use them to keep track of inventory or manage tools. Workers can scan stickers with phones or tablets to update stock or check equipment. This saves time and helps stop mistakes. You can use NFC stickers for access control too. Only allowed people can open doors or use machines. The stickers work with many NFC devices, so you do not need new equipment.

Marketing Applications

NFC sticker labels can make your marketing stronger. Put them on posters, flyers, or product displays. Customers can tap to join games, watch videos, or follow your social media. You can change the link anytime. This keeps your campaigns new and fun. NFC stickers let you see how many people tap and connect with your brand.

You can help your business grow with NFC sticker labels. These labels let you change how they look and work. You can make them fit your brand. You can use them to do jobs faster. You can connect with your customers in new ways.

• Look at different materials and shapes.
• Try making stickers work for payments or tracking.
• Ask an NFC expert for help and advice.

FAQ

What devices can read an NFC Sticker Label?

Most smartphones and tablets with NFC can read an NFC Sticker Label. You do not need special equipment. Just tap your device on the sticker to access the information.

How do you program an NFC Sticker Label?

You can use a free app on your phone to write data to the NFC Sticker Label. Choose what you want to store, like a website link or a message, and follow the app’s steps.

Where can you use NFC Sticker Labels in your business?

You can use them on product packaging, posters, or equipment. They work well for payments, inventory, and marketing. You can place them anywhere you want to share information or track items.

Are NFC Sticker Labels safe for storing information?

Yes, NFC Sticker Labels use secure chips that follow industry standards. You can trust them for safe data transfer and tracking.

In an era of shifting consumer habits, value has taken center stage. Shoppers are increasingly drawn to brands that offer durability and performance without the premium price tag. Few companies embody this shift better than Decathlon. The global sports retailer operates on a famously lean model—controlling everything from product design and manufacturing to logistics. With a strict cap on marketing spending (less than 1% of turnover) and a net margin of just 6.5% in 2022, Decathlon proves that profitability comes from operational excellence, not just cutting corners .

But here is the paradox: How does a company so focused on cost justify investing in technology like RAIN RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), especially a decade ago when tag prices were significantly higher than they are today?

The answer lies in Return on Investment (ROI) . For Decathlon, RFID is not an expense; it is a tool that fuels their low-cost business model. Here is how the world"s largest sports retailer leverages UHF RFID technology to stay lean, efficient, and responsive.

1. Slashing Labor Costs with Automation

The most immediate impact of RFID is the drastic reduction in manual labor. Before RFID, Decathlon relied on employees for time-consuming tasks like stock counting and checkout.

• Warehouse & Store Efficiency: Manual inventory counts were once a massive operational burden. According to some Retail Operations Director at Decathlon, the company used to spend over 140,000 hours annually on manual inventory counting, with accuracy hovering between 86% and 90% . Now, in a 4,000-square-meter store, an RFID-equipped robot can complete a full inventory scan in just 1.5 hours with 99.2% accuracy .

• Self-Checkout: RFID-enabled point-of-sale (POS) systems allow customers to scan entire baskets of items instantly. This has led to a 50% reduction in self-checkout time in markets like Brazil, improving the customer experience while allowing staff to focus on sales rather than scanning barcodes .

2. Increasing Supply Chain Velocity and Accuracy

In the fast-moving world of retail apparel and equipment, inventory visibility is critical. By tagging individual items at the source, Decathlon gains real-time data across its global supply chain.

• Reduced Shrinkage: Real-time tracking helps pinpoint where goods are lost, whether in transit or in-store. Decathlon reports that RFID has helped reduce its product loss (shrinkage) rate by 9% .

• Enhanced Accuracy: In logistics, RFID has reduced packaging errors at factories from 1.5% to just 0.2%, ensuring that the right product reaches the right store .

3. Agile Response to Consumer Demand

Decathlon is famous for acting as a "dupe" for high-end outdoor gear. When a luxury brand launches a popular jacket and consumers flock to Decathlon for an affordable alternative, the company must act fast to avoid stockouts.

RFID provides the data backbone for this agility. By visualizing sales data in real-time, Decathlon can spot trends instantly. This enables lean manufacturing—quickly ramping up production on winning items to capture maximum revenue. This data-driven approach has contributed to a 5% uplift in sales attributed directly to RFID implementation .

The Bottom Line: Value Over Cost

While some retailers hesitated to adopt RFID due to the price of tags, Decathlon recognized the technology"s ability to unlock value across the entire business. As noted by AIoT Star Map Institute, the apparel and footwear sector used over 27.6 billion RFID tags in 2022, making it the largest market for the technology .

For retail decision-makers wondering if RFID is worth the investment, Decathlon"s decade-long track record provides a clear answer: RFID doesn"t just pay for itself; it becomes the foundation of a leaner, smarter, and more profitable operation.

If you're a runner, you've probably experienced that anxious wait for your official finish time. If you're a race organizer, you've wrestled with accuracy issues and cheating concerns. Let's explore the technology that's changing all that—RFID marathon timing systems.

From Stopwatches to Chips: A Timing Revolution

A decade ago, marathon timing relied on manual stopwatches and video playback. Dozens of volunteers at the finish line still couldn't prevent missed or incorrect records. Barcode scanning came next, but it required runners to actively scan—inefficient and error-prone. It wasn't until UHF RFID technology matured that truly automated timing became possible.

Today, 99% of major marathons worldwide use RFID timing. The core components are carpet antennas laid on the ground and fixed readers positioned alongside. As runners cross the antenna, the chip in their bib is instantly read, generating a timestamp accurate to the millisecond.

The Tech Secrets Behind RFID Mat Antennas

You might wonder: with thousands of runners crossing simultaneously, how does the system tell them apart?

The answer lies in two key technologies: circular polarization and anti-collision algorithms.

Standard linearly polarized antennas require the tag to be aligned for proper reading, but bibs can twist or tilt during a race. Our carpet antennas use circular polarization, ensuring stable signal capture regardless of tag orientation. Combined with anti-collision algorithms capable of processing 400+ tags per second, we achieve over 99.5% read accuracy even in dense packs.

Durability is another challenge. A marathon sees tens of thousands of footsteps, plus support vehicles. Our antennas use an FR4-acrylic-FR4 composite structure, less than 1 cm thick yet able to withstand tons of pressure. PVC encapsulation makes them waterproof and UV-resistant, performing reliably in rain or blazing sun.

Enhanced Runner Experience

For runners, RFID delivers more than accurate times. Real-time split timing lets you monitor your pace; friends and family can track your location via app; official results and digital certificates arrive within seconds of finishing. These experiences are becoming race-day essentials.

Future Trends: From Timing to Data Analytics

Race organizers are now using RFID data for deeper insights: Which sections get congested? Which age groups run fastest? Are aid stations optimally placed? These analytics are optimizing race operations and improving runner safety.

Your next marathon will have RFID mat antennas silently working beneath your feet. Next time you cross the finish line, take a moment to appreciate this tiny marvel transforming the sport.