These flexible RFID tags can take the heat

(Credit: Fujitsu)

With radio frequency identification tags already showing up in school uniforms, it makes sense they'd make their way into other types of uniforms as well.

But what to do when said uniforms are worn in manufacturing plants where garments have to be sterilized with heat so microorganisms and other outside pollutants don't contaminate the goods? Wouldn't the RFID tags turn into goop?

Funny you should ask. Fujitsu has come up with a flexible, ultra high frequency (UHF)-band RFID tag that can withstand temperatures up to 250 degrees Fahrenheit (much, much hotter than CNET's New York office, even on a really humid day) and high-pressure conditions of 2 atm.

Fujitsu's 1-gram tag is meant for use in uniforms worn by employees of plants that make products like medical supplies or semiconductors and have to sterilize with extra heat. While most microorganisms can be eliminated at 212 degrees F (the boiling point for water at standard pressure), some organisms have a greater resistance to heat and need to be zapped at higher temperatures.

Manufacturing plants already use flexible UHF-band RFID tags to manage uniform supplies, but Fujitsu says its flexible UHF-band RFID tags can take the heat in a way others can't. And that could translate to more operational efficiency. By utilizing the heat-resistant Fujitsu tags, companies will be able to simultaneously scan up to 100 uniforms after they're sterilized, taking a lot of the hassle out of tracking batches of uniforms by hand.