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SAI Timing and Tracking currently provides flexible Gen 2 passive radio frequency tags for runners’ shirts to track the time runners spend during their runs. SAI Timing and Tracking is a research sports timing and tracking company founded by ChronoTrack, which is based in Evansville. This system replaces the previous transponder system, which was expensive and overly reliant on manual operation. The transponder system requires runners to carry a battery-powered transponder and return the unit after the run and hand it over to other runners for reuse.
Meanwhile, Hardcard Systems and Alien Technologies are currently testing the ability of Gen 2 RFID tags to track locomotive race times.
The new SAI timing system was designed and developed by ChronoTrack. According to David Simms, co-founder of SAI Timing, the new SAI, which has a 99.84 percent read rate, is already being used to test marathon times in cities such as Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
In the past, marathon runners have placed an active transponder on their ankles, shoes or shoelaces to track and measure the time they take to complete a portion of the race and then cross the finish line. But the problem is that the overhead of these transponders—usually $35 each—and the need for athletes to queue to return them after finishing their races can also create congestion for competitors. Another weakness of the previous system was that it relied too much on manual operations. Since marathon attendants need to pair each shirt with a transponder, they need to enter each athlete’s transceiver number and link it to the database.
SAI’s solution was to produce sports tops with ChronoTrack D-tags—embedded passive EPC Gen 2 radio frequency tags attached to the logo. To encode and print 3D labels and tops, SAI uses the Lexmark T640rn monochrome RF laser printer encoder (see the New Office Laser Printer Encodes Tags article), says Rick Kallup, senior industrial consultant and RF business development manager at Lexmark. When runners are checked in, they are assigned an identification number and a corresponding jersey. The number is not only printed on the sports top but also programmed into the label of the top.
The system uses Impinj high-speed radio frequency readers and has antennas installed at checkpoints along the track and under the finish line. This allows these readers to capture the tag’s special ID number as the athlete passes. The Impinj plugin running in the reader translates the data and the reader transmits the data to SAI’s backend server over an 802.11 Wi-Fi or GSM line. Afterwards, SAI provides these data in the form of online records and sends messages to each contestant. Competitors can read it during the game (provided they have mobile phones with them) or after the game. Of course SAI can also send a message to the player’s friends and family as the player passes each milestone.
The system was developed in the fall of 2007 and was first used at the Las Vegas Marathon in November of that year. Since then, the system has been used in at least three other running competitions. Simms said the system’s accuracy has been tested by track and field timing company Lynx System Developers and proven to be as accurate as previous active transponder systems.
EPC Gen 2 passive UHF tags typically have a 30-foot read range, but the SAI timing system pinpoints the exact time the athlete reaches the checkpoint and finish line. Simms declined to elaborate on how the Impinj radio frequency reader accomplishes this, saying it is a proprietary, confidential technology, but he noted that the company has found the tags work best when applied to athletes’ shoes. Still, Impinj is continuing to work on other ways, such as placing tags on athletes’ chests. “The best result we tested was putting the tag on the shoe,” he said. Simms said he expects to have 500,000 to 750,000 athletes using the system by the end of 2008 and hopes that number will rise to several million by 2009.
In addition to tracking runners, another similar application of the system is tracking motorcycles. Alien Technologies has partnered with racing competition management company Hardcard Systems to launch a new system. The system uses passive EPC Gen 2 UHF RFID tags to time competitors in motorsports. The two companies are currently field-testing timing and scoring systems for motor racing. The newly developed system uses Alien tags and installs them on airports to track the time each racer reaches the finish line with an accuracy of 0.1 seconds.
Hardcard and Alien have been testing the system at the Buttonwillow track in California since December 2007, with eight locomotives traveling at 140 miles per hour. Hardcard partner Andrew Leisner said. Other partners also began testing the system this week at the Laguna Seca Mazda runway in Canada’s Monterey region.
According to Leisner, battery-powered transponders typically used in motorcycle racing cost $700 to $800 each. And the weight of the transceivers is about half a kilogram each, and the size is about the size of a deck of cards. It transmits the signal to a loop of copper wire embedded in the surface of the runway. In order to ensure the proper operation of the tag, the battery of the transceiver must be charged according to a special charging procedure.
“I always thought there had to be an easier way to do this,” Leisner said. “When we asked, could we replace heavy transceivers with radio frequency tags?” He started working on Alien technology in 2007 and said ” This change can reduce the cost per user from $600 to $800 to a few dollars.”
Despite their size, existing transponder systems are extremely accurate, Leisner said. He measures the running time of athletes to an accuracy of 0.001 seconds. Despite this high level of accuracy, Leisner said, race officials tend to rely on cameras installed at the finish line and visual observations to determine who wins.
With the new RFID system, Hardcard has now introduced Alien ALR-9900 readers to capture and read tags as team members pass specific spots on the Buttonwillow and Laguna Seca runways. While the partners have so far only tested the system in simulated races, Leisner said he plans to begin testing the system in real racing competitions this summer. The reader is capable of capturing tags at distances up to 50 feet and ensuring that the entire arena is read. The playing field is usually 30 to 40 feet wide. Each locomotive is fitted with two Alien M labels in a sticky plastic wrap. In addition to this, the research team is currently testing Alien Squiggle tags and installing them in multiple locations on the locomotive.
Hardcard has experimented with mounting the antenna in various locations, in the air or on the side of the runway, and placing tags on helmets and other parts of the bike. Alien readers can transmit data to back-end systems via Wi-Fi or cable connections. The Hardcard software allows users to watch and compare the results of many players’ matches. All of this information is stored on the Hardcard server, and the reader can record and display the second the runner crosses the finish line, Leisner said.
Until now, Leisner said, the Alien hardware could handle the read range requirements in simulated competitions. Comparing Alien tags to active transponders commonly used in motor racing, he added that “Alien tags are much smaller in size and do not require charging. They are lighter and can be used anywhere”. According to Leisner, Hardcard expects to ship the system in the first quarter of 2009.
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