Have you ever gone out to eat at a restaurant and noticed that your waiter took your order, a different person brought you your drinks and yet another person delivered your food?
It doesn’t necessarily mean that the waiter is too busy to fill your order themselves. It could be that the restaurant simply employs an operations model that allows for any of the available staff to help—making your wait time go down and improving your overall experience.
Or maybe you have gone into your favorite clothing store to buy that hot new item that’s trending right now. Once you arrive at the store, you find the product only to learn that they are out of your size. You ask the sales clerk if they have any more available, and in two quick seconds they are able to tell you exactly which one of their stores has your size in stock.
These are both examples of how Impinj is working in our everyday life to keep us connected to the products and information that matters. RewardExpert recently had the pleasure of speaking with Gaylene Meyer, Sr. Director of Marketing Communications for Impinj.
Creating a Digital Footprint
Have you ever purchased apparel from a major retailer like Macy’s, run a race like the New York City Marathon, enjoyed a drink from a Coca-Cola Freestyle soda fountain or
checked bags at an airport before a trip? Then chances are that you’ve already interacted with Impinj.
“Impinj wirelessly connects billions of everyday items such as apparel, luggage, medical supplies and automobile parts to consumer and business applications, such as inventory management, patient safety and asset tracking,” explained Meyer.
“The Impinj platform uses RAIN RFID to deliver timely information about these items to the digital world, thereby enabling the Internet of Things.”
Impinj began while founder and CEO, Chris Diorio, was teaching at the University of Washington. It was there that his research led him to develop a self-adaptive silicon chip that could change and react to its environment after its fabrication.
“This meant that chips could deliver dynamic information and responses in real-time—a powerful asset for those operating at the dawn of our digital world,” said Meyer.
“Where Dr. Diorio recognized the potential of these tiny chips to irrevocably change business operations, his mentor, friend and legendary chip-developer, Dr. Carver Mead, saw his friend’s potential to make it great. Together the two professors co-founded Impinj in 2000.”
“Dr. Diorio thought these cheap, tiny chips could be used to “tag” any physical item and connect it to the internet for unprecedented, unparalleled visibility into the product movement. Under the guidance and technological expertise of Dr. Diorio, Impinj’s superior approach to ultra-high-frequency RAIN RFID tag chips emerged not only as the industry leader, but set the industry standard.”
“Since then, Dr. Diorio has continued to grow Impinj as the market-leading provider of RAIN RFID solutions, as well as championed the building of a global RFID standard that has allowed the industry to flourish and helped deliver this life-changing technology to businesses and consumers around the world.”
“So far, Impinj has enabled over 25 billion items to be connected to the internet, and as we continue to improve upon and expand our platform, we are driving towards our vision of digital life for trillions of everyday items and extending the reach of the internet by a factor of 1,000.”
Solving the Issues of Multiple Industries
Impinj is helping businesses all over the world streamline their operations, simplify their processes and provide the best customer service possible. There are numerous industries that are able to use the technology that Impinj offers.
According to Meyer, these include:
Retail: “Retailers consume billions of our RAIN RFID chips each year to obtain real-time information about the products they manufacture, transport and sell. The Impinj platform allows retailers to improve inventory visibility, reduce out-of-stocks, enable omnichannel fulfillment, enhance shopping experiences and prevent loss.”
Healthcare: “The healthcare industry is increasingly focusing on patient quality-of-care with hospitals and healthcare providers facing increasing pressure to obtain real-time data about assets, inventory, staff and patients. The Impinj platform allows healthcare providers to automate asset and inventory management, improve process flow, increase charge capture and improve patient experience.”
Supply Chain & Logistics: “When supply chain and logistics companies have accurate real-time information about the parts, packages and assets that move through their operation and supply chain, they can operate with greater efficiency and accuracy. The Impinj platform allows companies to optimize operations, increase efficiency and reduce cost with shipment verification, asset management, and warehouse inventory location tracking.”
Examples of the Technology in Action Today
Impinj is already in use in multiple industries and numerous companies worldwide today.
Some specific examples provided by Meyer include:
Delta Airlines uses Impinj tag chips to track baggage at locations around the globe. The new baggage tracking solution ensures proper luggage routing and loading, enables agents to pinpoint specific bags and lets consumers know the location of their baggage via the Delta app—so they can know their bags will arrive at the right destination.
Smart fitting rooms combine the best of online and in-person shopping experiences. Rebecca Minkoff and Ralph Lauren have each deployed smart fitting rooms using Impinj technology. As consumers enter the room with RAIN RFID tagged clothing, the mirror or display automatically knows what you have and lets you adjust lighting, request new sizes, complete the look, learn more, get assistance or check out on the spot.
When eating sushi, the most important factor is freshness. That’s why sushi restaurant Blue C Sushi, with locations in Washington and California, has integrated Impinj tag chips into each plate. As the plate is placed on the conveyor belt, the timer starts, ensuring fish doesn’t rotate around the restaurant too long. And, as you remove a plate from the belt, the inventory is instantly updated letting the chefs know what to make next so your favorite dishes are always just around the corner.
The University of Tennessee has deployed smart disposal systems in their operating rooms that track what is used during surgery by reading the packaging as the item is discarded. The Impinj-enabled disposal bin has not only led to more accurate billing based on what’s used, it has also allowed healthcare professionals at the hospital to analyze what is actually used for each surgery, so they can better prepare for each operation and not take items out of stock that won’t be used. With this system, you don’t have to worry about being billed for unnecessary items.
“By providing the potential to connect almost any physical item to the internet, the opportunities and applications for our platform are endless,” said Meyer. “The ability of RAIN RFID to positively impact our lives is limited only by our creativity.”
To learn more about how Impinj is helping you, visit impinj.com today.