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Oracle and La Sapienza University take RFID to the next level
With RFID ready for the prime time, organizations need a place to design, prototype and test their ideas for RFID applications. Rome's La Sapienza University is quickly emerging as a centre of excellence in this regard, thanks in part to the involvement of Oracle.
Rome’s La Sapienza University may date from the Middle Ages, but the work going on in its RFID lab is decidedly futuristic. Students and professors at Italy's foremost university have used radio frequency identification to drive ultra-modern applications – including an electronic 'guide dog' for the blind, a 'talking art gallery' that informs visitors about artworks when they approach, and a 'smart' supermarket shelf that can tell when perishable items are nearing their sell-by date.
Originally part of the university's center for distance learning technologies (CATTID), the lab came into its own in 2004 when it started investigating potential applications for RFID tags and readers. It is now one of the world's most advanced RFID research centers, attracting interest from leading technology vendors and potential RFID users alike. Now, the lab is evolving beyond simply being a showcase for the potential of RFID, to become a place where organizations can design, prototype and test their own ideas for RFID applications in an environment equipped with the latest technologies and knowledgeable technical staff.
The evolution is taking place with help from Oracle and Intel. Both companies recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the university, agreeing to provide the lab with software, hardware and technicians. Oracle has also involved its Mobile Solution Providers community in the project, drafting in additional technology and expertise from partners like Datalogic, Escort Memory Systems, Fujitsu-Siemens, Geodan, HP, Nokia and TeleAtlas. While the lab benefits from some of the world's most advanced technologies, the vendors stand to reap rewards when the prototype applications are commercialized.
“The interest shown by Oracle and Intel, two 'giants' on the international IT stage, is a great testimony to the status of La Sapienza as a European centre of excellence for RFID,” said Professor Renato Guarini, Dean of the University of La Sapienza.
One party that has shown a lot of early interest in the lab is the Italian government, which is keen to understand how RFID can be put to use in the public sector. To this end, the lab has developed a partnership with the government-run National Centre for Information Technology (CNIPA) to design and test potential applications for RFID in a variety of areas, from tracking the whereabouts of prisoners to food and drug traceability initiatives.
Oracle's investment in the lab is not limited to providing it with the latest database, middleware and applications technology. The company is also investing in the students involved with the lab, by offering funding and internships to undergraduates and postgraduates. Oracle is also organizing joint training and marketing events with lab staff, to promote the work being undertaken and to educate more IT professionals in the benefits and potential applications of RFID.
Oracle University Italy has recently started working together with RFID Lab, and has launched new training offerings related to RFID technologies and applications. "RFID Bootcamp" is the first training session where participants will be able to learn about both RFID technologies and applications, and where students will be able to build real applications with real readers and Oracle software.
"RFID is opening up possibilities for pervasive computing that are becoming more real and more fascinating every day," said Sergio Rossi, vice president of the Technology business unit at Oracle Italy. "We are very fortunate to be collaborating with one of the most prestigious universities in Europe to boost innovation in this exciting technological area, especially on projects that will raise the level of service provided to citizens."
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