LOW-COST silicon tagging technology being developed for the airline and postal industry by Motorola offers the potential for cheap single-trip metro tickets compatible with smart card applications. With smart cards costing up to US$5·00 each, most rail applications to date have retained paper or magnetic-stripe tickets for single trips and other infrequent applications where the investment in disposable cards could not be justified. This has a spin-off in terms of the infrastructure required.
BiStatix technology combines an antenna printed onto paper or card ticket stock using carbon ink with a preprepared self-adhesive silicon tag. This combination creates a read-write tag at very low cost, suitable for a limited life. The system is currently being trialled with the US Post Office, and Motorola hopes to have the technology available for general use by the end of 1999. In the longer term, the company sees the tags as a possible replacement for barcodes in many applications.
Motorola has worked on several railway smart card projects with the Australian ERG group, including the Octopus package for Hong Kong’s Creative Star joint venture. Motorola supplies the radio-frequency inductive links and the Card Acceptance Devices within the ticket readers.
Motorola, USA, Reader Enquiry Form Number 111
