PLUS Location Systems Partners With Auburn University RFID Lab

Huntsville, Alabama, August 4, 2016 (Newswire.com) - PLUS Location Systems, a provider of high-accuracy real-time location tracking and decision support solutions, today announced its partnership with the Auburn University RFID Lab.

“Organizations are trying to gain insight into the detailed behavior and interaction of all their people, assets and inventory throughout their entire enterprise. By combining high-accuracy Real-Time Location System (RTLS) technology and low-cost proximity awareness in the appropriate areas and integrating this data with existing RFID and other sensor systems, this insight can be obtained”, said Phil Yates, Vice President of Product Development at PLUS. “PLUS is thrilled to be part of the Auburn RFID Lab team, and we look forward to a long relationship supporting valuable research and development activity and opportunities for faculty and students.”

Real-Time Location System (RTLS) and RFID technologies have the potential to become a powerful combination within the broader Internet of Things.

Justin Patton, RFID Lab Director at Auburn University

The Auburn RFID Lab is a research institute focusing on the business case and technical implementation of RFID and other emerging technologies in retail, supply chain and manufacturing. The lab provides the perfect collaborative environment to study the next generation of integrated data acquisition, analysis and decision making technologies, tools and processes. Faculty, students, technology providers and organizations are brought together to understand how the needs of the market can be better met through the use of technology.

The lab offers:

• 13,000 square feet of simulated retail, grocery and warehouse/distribution center environments
• Leading-edge personnel, asset and inventory tracking and analysis technology supporting the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
• Academic expertise from Auburn University’s Raymond J. Harbert College of Business, Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, College of Human Sciences and College of Agriculture
• Energized students preparing to be the next generation leaders in the Big Data and IoT era

PLUS has installed a Real Time Location System in the RFID lab to provide high accuracy tracking throughout the facility. The system includes a variety of hardware and software components, including ACTIVE RTLS tags, which are worn by people or attached to assets, and PLUS Readers to receive the Ultra Wide Band (UWB) tag signals.  The tag signals are processed by a suite of software applications to provide accurate, real time location calculations, analyze the movement and interaction of tags, manage databased storage of activity, and provide access and visibility to the data through a variety of dashboards, reports, and APIs. Additional Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) enabled tags, app-based mobile devices and safety system elements are to be added in the near future. Faculty at Auburn will use the system for research in the areas of Warehousing & Distribution, Manufacturing & Processing, Hospitality, Sports, Emergency & Military, and Workplace & Workforce. Also, the system will be demonstrated during regular tours of the RFID Lab, available by appointment.

Justin Patton, RFID Lab Director at Auburn University said, “We are excited about the addition of PLUS real-time location technology to the lab and the partnership with the PLUS team. Real-Time Location System (RTLS) and RFID technologies have the potential to become a powerful combination within the broader Internet of Things. Having the PLUS systems installed throughout the lab will enable our team to study and characterize person and asset activity and utilization across a broad spectrum of use-cases. We have a growing list of research projects that the PLUS system will enable, resulting in new insights related to technology integration and the optimization of data collection and analysis tools and processes.”

To learn more about the RFID Lab at Auburn University or to schedule a tour of the lab, visit http://rfid.auburn.edu/.

About PLUS Location Systems

PLUS ACTIVE RTLS products offer in-depth visibility into the location, activity and interaction of people and assets in industrial, retail, hospitality, sports, office and military environments. In addition to its best-in-class, proprietary UWB technology that provides inch-level activity visibility, PLUS solutions include a range of BLE products. These BLE products range from embedded modules to long-life, battery-powered beacons for use where infrastructure-free, zone-level personnel and asset activity and interaction awareness is required. PLUS UWB and BLE solutions enable easy access to activity-based intelligence and real-time operational awareness for all levels of organizational management.

For more information about PLUS visit pluslocation.com.

Source: PLUS Location Systems