INVENTOR of radio frequency identification (RFID) wireless technology Charlie Walton has passed away, aged 89.
RFID is now widely used to provide secure access, tracking, payment and limited data exchange. But few of its users are aware of the work of Walton.
The technology was solely invented by Walton in the 1970s, with patents filed 1973 and 1983, but only really came into widespread use in the 2000s, as technology matured which allowed the chips to be manufactured cost-effectively.
RFID gave Walton a windfall of a few million dollars, and he continued inventing technology until his death in November 2011.
RFID transmit information via short-range radio waves, and make use of a database located on a computer to function. Its main competition has been the cheap barcodes which are still prevalent today,
Walton’s form of RFID uses a tiny electrical current from the RFID reader, to wake up the tag and provide it with enough power to generate a response, simply by establishing a wireless connection with it.
The first passive RFID key was bulky, but the technology has since miniaturised. In 1980, Walton patented a digital version which can change the data on the tags.
While Walton made quite a bit of money from royalties, his patents expired before the large wave of RFID adoption.
RFID inventor passes away Electronics News
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