Hebrew University Nanolab uses RFID technology to keep personnel safe
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Workers at the Hebrew University’s nanolab are often exposed to dangerous gases and chemicals, and the experiments are conducted without too many people. If an emergency occurs, after the school’s automatic system is in place, staff can not only press the panic button to prompt emergency personnel, but also determine the location and avatar information of the person through the system. The system uses an active 433 MHz RFIDTechnology and monitoring technology combined.
Hebrew University uses this solution mainly to ensure the safety of the staff, but also to check the attendance of the staff, to monitor the location of the staff, and the length of time. Every scientist, student, and other staff member who enters the lab is equipped with an RFID badge.Installed around the equipment in the laboratoryReaderand antennas to track the whereabouts of staff wearing RFID badges. The program also allows schools to view information such as interruption time and location records for any period of time for billing reference.
Every worker entering the lab is armed with a LogiTag 433 MHz active RFID tag.
Hebrew University is the largest university in Israel, and its laboratories provide experimental research sites for school teachers, students and off-campus companies. The Nanofabrication Unit (UNF) laboratory provides state-of-the-art tools for the development of nanostructures and devices, with a focus on organic and inorganic nanoscale. Some liquids and gases are highly toxic, and researchers are also at risk of electric shock.
Based on the safety of the experiment, Hebrew University needed a panic response solution, and when researchers encountered toxic gas, they could quickly press the panic button. At the same time, researchers can be positioned. The real-time positioning system is provided by LogiTag.
The school had used an RFID-based alert system, but it was unable to identify the location of researchers in the lab. The laboratory is 180 square wood and is divided into 10 rooms. Due to the metal environment, the signal transmission effect is not good, so the location of the rescuer cannot be accurately determined. In order to solve the above problems, in 2012, LogiTag company developed a new set of RFID solutions, using 125 kHz low frequency exciter and 433 MHz active RFID tags and readers. In order to overcome the metal environment, the company specially designed the power control of the antenna and the reader.
LogiTag software shows the researcher’s location, and cameras in the room enable real-time monitoring
The package includes 7 readers and 20 low frequency exciters. Every technician or researcher entering the laboratory needs to wear protective clothing with a built-in LogiTag 433 MHz active RFID tag. When the researchers passed the low-frequency excited antenna, the tag emitted a unique ID code. When the tag receives a low frequency signal, the tag encodes the unique ID through the air interface, and the 433 MHz signal is sent to the reader. The reader sends the location data, along with the researcher ID code, to the main base station via a 900 MHz wireless signal, which then sends the data to the cloud server.
LogiTag software parses and stores the above data and provides users with access to view, while digital screens show the researcher’s location in the laboratory and real-time footage of the room.
If a researcher presses the panic button on the badge, the system sends an alert to the school’s security center as well as to the lab supervisor. The system works by displaying an alarm message on the screen, sending a text or email message, or triggering a honk.
A total of 35-40 tags were used in the laboratory. The school plans to add additional reminders to alert staff when they are in the lab for too long.
The installation of the solution began in the third quarter of 2013 and was officially launched in the fourth quarter. Due to the particularity of the laboratory environment, there are two major challenges in the implementation and installation of the solution: metal environment and high cleanliness requirements. The latter does not allow punching holes in the walls, and the dust could destroy nanoscale research results. According to the laboratory, the RFID solution ensures the safety of researchers, and the safety of students working alone in the laboratory can be guaranteed.
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