General Electric, acting through its Technology Ventures operation, announced this week its intent to commercialize GE's radio frequency sensing technology through a commercial license to the RFID division of Avery Dennison. According to GE, this technology will enable a wide range of low-cost wireless sensing products in a series of applications, including industrial, food and beverage, packaging and pollution prevention. The agreement will bring to market GE's RFID based wireless sensor technology that can detect and measure chemical, physical, and biological conditions in a variety of applications.
GE's RF sensing technology is built on traditional RFID technology, with sensors that can detect toxic industrial chemicals, volatile organic compounds, as well as biological agents and physical parameters. Developed by a team of scientists and engineers at GE Global Research, this sensing approach is reportedly capable of providing selective quantification of chemical agents with low detection limits, and can operate in the presence of ambient humidity and other interferences.
The sensors comprise HF RFID tags laminated with unique films, and work in combination with a proprietary reader that interrogates the tag to read both the RFID tag data and the complex RF waveform associated with the chemical, biological or physical measurement.
"This agreement marks an exciting milestone in the RF Sensor program," said William Kernick, Vice President of Technology Ventures for GE. "Avery Dennison, a global leader in RFID technology, has a long-standing commitment to innovation and we are looking forward to working together to launch in-field customer trials."
Jack Farrell, Vice President and General Manager at Avery Dennison RFID, added, "Through our technology development with GE, we have successfully demonstrated that RF Sensors can be manufactured using a standard roll-to-roll process. This achievement makes RF Sensors a commercially viable solution for high-volume applications across our diverse base of customers."
In the upcoming months, GE and Avery Dennison will collaborate to engage partners and conduct RF Sensor technical field trials of applications for relevant industries such as pharmaceutical, food assurance, and agriculture.
GE's Technology Ventures group, a component of Corporate Licensing, drives the technology commercialization and business development of licensing portfolios for GE. With close ties to GE's Global Research, Technology Ventures supports the protection, development and marketing of GE's intellectual property.
Avery Dennison's RFID division, headquartered in Flowery Branch, Georgia, is the world's largest producer of RFID inlays, manufacturing and marketing RFID inlays and durable tags through label converters and system integrators.
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