Tagging Technology for the Masses (TTM)

Trevor Maynard

Dan Santoni

Outline

Existing technologies Existing problems Proposed solution Risks Current Progress Conclusion

Existing Technologies

Bar Codes RFID Tags IR Tags Contact Tags See “The challenges and opportunities of

integrating the physical world and networked systems” (course website)

Problems with Current Technology

Cost– Even a small cost can make tagging hundreds and

thousands of items prohibitively expensive

Availability– Tag reading hardware is uncommon

Power– Even a small power requirement for the tag makes

large scale tagging impractical

Proposed Solution

Solution Requirements– Almost zero cost for tag– Sensor technology widely available– Zero power required for the tag– Can easily become ubiquitous– Unobtrusive tagging and tag reading

Proposed Solution (Cont’d)

The solution– Optically sensed tag– Can be scanned by a camera phone/PDA (with

camera)– Tags can be printed on a standard laser printer– Tags are unobtrusive (approx 1”x1”, fit on product

price tag or poster)

Solution Requirements

Open tag standard– Anyone can create a tag based on the standard– Eases adoption of technology

Use existing network infrastructure– Data storage on tag is limited, use wireless network

to collect additional product/item information

Run on any portable device– Since the tag standard should be open, clients can

be written for any platform.

Risks

Camera capture quality is too low Tags cannot be made small enough (relates to

first risk) Tags cannot hold enough data Tag analysis (processing power and

programming skill)

Current Progress

Prototype Tag generator complete (sample output below)

Current Progress (Cont’d)

Preliminary stages of image analysis underway Still gathering prototype hardware

Conclusion

The goal is to prototype a tagging system that is:– Easy to deploy– Built around an open standard– Can be scanned with existing hardware (i.e. camera

phones)– Cheap