Canada’s GAO RFID has introduced a new low-frequency handheld RFID reader/writer. The device combines a rugged finish for dust and shock resistance with a light weight design for convenience.

Traxxec Inc., a specialist in RFID-enabled packaging solutions, has entered into a licensing agreement with consumer packaging giant Rexam Plc. to provide a line of RFID-enabled products for the pharmaceutical industry. The RF bottle resulting from the partnership will meet guidelines for RFID-enabling packaging recently set forth by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

RFID developer ThingMagic Inc. has secured a strategic investment and technology development agreement with In-Q-Tel, a strategic investment firm linked to the U.S. intelligence community.

Sirit Inc. has announced that its IDentity 5100 reader has been certified by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). The certification opens up European markets for the company’s automatic vehicle identification (AVI) solutions which use the readers as a key component.

TransCore, a supplier of RFID-based transportation solutions, has announced four transportation authorities around the U.S. have joined the list of customers using the company’s eGo Plus windshield stickers.

While the new RFID lab at Merrimack College, North Andover, Mass., is geared towards training students in RFID as it applies to supply chain management, at least one student wants to expand the technology to the college’s ID cards. The electrical engineering major is working on a pilot project to embed electronic tags into IDs so students can buy lunch, check out a library book or gain access to computer labs.

The lab was established using technology donated by French company TAGSYS, which has an office in Burlington, Mass. The company designs and manufactures RFID systems used to track inventory in retail stores.

Read more here.  

Illinois-based John Sakach Co., a provider of construction rigging elements including wire rope, slings and associated hardware, has chosen N4 Systems’ Field ID network to manage the company’s inspection, testing, certification and repair services.

The United States Department of Agriculture urged a federal judge on Thursday to dismiss a case brought by a group of Amish farmers in Michigan. The farmers feel that a program, which used RFID tags to track and prevent disease in cattle, is an infringement on their fundamental religious beliefs and constitutes the “mark of the beast.”

Digital Angel Corporation, specialists in animal identification and emergency identification solutions, has sold its interests in the VeriChip Corporation, which offers RFID-enabled solutions for the health care industry. The VeriChip stock, which represents a 45% share in the company, is being purchased by R&R Consulting Partners, a company controlled by Scott R. Silverman, the former CEO and chairman of VeriChip.

BASF Venture Capital GmbH of Ludwigshafen, Germany, has announced an investment in the U.S. startup company NanoMas Technologies Inc. NanoMas develops inks containing silver nanoparticles that are easily processed to electrical circuits in printed electronics, solar cells and special adhesives. The technology offers improved performance for printed RFID labels.