Public Funding for Codegate Limited

In this project, Codegate and Lightricity will jointly develop an automated and self-powered smart inventory monitoring system (LuxBase) that can detect the weight and quantity of any product/item in picking bins, covering logistics, manufacturing and retail use-cases. This project will build on a previous feasibility study carried out by Codegate on smart bins based on passive RFID technology. The study highlighted some key drawbacks of RFID for such inventory applications: * the prohibitive cost and high number of required RFID readers * the limited range and accuracy of the RFID chip sensors * the regular replacement of batteries when using active RFID tags to increase device performance * the lack of compatibility/interoperability between competing inventory systems. This project aims to address the above costs and functional limitations of RFID by switching to a BLE-based wireless protocol and by using indoor and/or ambient light as a renewable source of energy to avoid the maintenance costs related to battery replacements. The consortium will focus on a retrofittable and interoperable solution that can be deployed at scale and at much lower cost than existing systems. The LuxBase system will combine high accuracy ultra-low power weight sensors and RF electronics, and Lightricity's unique indoor PV technology that can provide up to 6 times more power per area than commercially available alternatives. Up to hundreds of LuxBase will be able to connect to Codegate proprietary middleware and cloud platform. System calibration will be enabled by a dedicated Android-app that can operate on most smart phones. The system will be demonstrated in real use case situations at participating end users.

INtelligent TrustEd SuppLy ChaIn (INTELI) establishes a new methodology of supply chain collaboration by providing an improved architecture for real-time visibility of operations data across the supply chain hierarchy, enabling dynamic forecasting and predictions, predictive/prescriptive analytics, compliance and supplier transactions.

The 'G1 Store Panel' is a new way of creating a fully automated unmanned store that's open for business 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Launched in 2019, it can be supplied flat pack, quickly built into any standard shipping container and be fully operational within minutes of being powered up. No store person required, no social interaction, reduced risk of exposure to contamination. Access to each store is restricted to personnel issued with unique identification, and with one person accessing the store at a time, any risk of viral infection is greatly reduced in comparison with a depot visit. Stores can contain any mix hire equipment and supplies. Using passive UHF RFID technology in a revolutionary way the store does not have a manual check-out out, but records every transaction and maintains inventory accuracy above 99 percent. Transactions are recorded against each individual. Using a secure web portal, store managers can view details of every transaction, what the inventory levels are in the store, which items are fast moving or have never been transacted, and what is the utilisation of hire items. That gives them the ability to adjust inventory to suit the customer and local requirements. Containerised stores can be quickly deployed close to any point of activity, for example a construction site or rail siding. Currently, external mains power must be supplied to the unit, restricting where it can be located. This project is to research and develop wind, solar and replaceable battery power unit options so that stores can be deployed anywhere where a delivery vehicle can gain access. This fully autonomous store will provide 24/7 availability even in the darkest winter months. Since stores can be deployed right to the point of activity, users save time and money not having to travel to remote depots for goods, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of the operation. Since all transactions are recorded against individuals, making them more accountable, damage to tools and assets is dramatically reduced, cutting the level of contingency costing required for a project. For the store provider the always-accurate automated inventory system improves stocking efficiency, reduces waste and can reduce administrative overhead by delivering a single itemised transaction bill per month instead of multiple paper based transactions. Smart shelving will also be developed as part of this project, removing the need for small or low cost items to be tagged. This will reduce the number of single-use RFID tags used, and reduces the need for single-use plastic packaging on individual items.

The 'G1 Store Panel' is a new way of creating a fully automated unmanned store that's open for business 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Supplied flat pack, it can be quickly built into any standard shipping container and be fully operational within minutes of being powered up. No store person required, so no need for PPE and social distancing measures. Using passive UHF RFID technology in a revolutionary way the store does not have a manual check-out out, but records every transaction and maintains inventory accuracy above 99 percent. Access to each store is restricted to personnel issued with unique identification, and transactions are recorded against each individual. Most items in the store will be RFID tagged, but smaller low value items can be tracked too using a revolutionary smart bin system. Containerised stores can be quickly deployed to any location, for example a construction site or rail siding. Only mains power is required; solar panels and a wind turbine could be used to make them fully autonomous. They can contain any mix of tools, hire equipment, and consumable items. Using a secure web portal, store managers can view details of every transaction, what the inventory levels are in the store, which items are fast moving or have never been transacted, and what is the utilisation of hire items. That gives them the ability to adjust inventory to suit the customer and local requirements. Since stored can be dropped in at the point of activity, time and money is saved not having to travel to shops and depots for goods, which can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the operation. Since all transactions are recorded against individuals, making them more accountable, damage to tools and assets is dramatically reduced, cutting the level of contingency costing required for a project.

To date, the tracking of individual products and components in applications such as retail, healthcare and manufacturing has been challenging to achieve in a commercially viable way. Active (battery powered) tags, although allowing a long-read range, are expensive, while reliably detecting cheap compact and ultrathin passive tags is difficult, particularly over a distance of more than 2-3 metres. PervasID, a Cambridge University spin-out, has developed a robustly patented product (patent numbers: EP2564467 A1, EP2564229 A2, US9384376 B2 and US9367785 B2) that enables highly reliable reading of standard off-the-shelf passive RFID tags over wide areas, using a fixed infrastructure [1]. The PervasID technology has been tested more than 20 times by major UK/European Retailers, EU/US/Asian integrators and healthcare providers (including Harland Simon and the NHS) around the Globe and has been found to outperform all other passive systems on the market, including that from technology giants, such as Intel. >99% error rate is achieved even for densely packed devices. Although PervasID is confident that its patented technology is technically world leading, various technological and economical challenges remain to be overcome if the technology is to have wide commercial potential. This project therefore aims to develop a low-cost next generation novel system architecture, with an accurate location capability and novel antenna technology allowing an 85% reduction in hardware costs. The product has been predicted to deliver a potential retail sales uplift from 4-10% and a shrinkage reduction of 1-5%. Similar benefits are seen in inventory security such as for healthcare applications. A successful project will enable the partners to build the RFID systems (via OEM agreements), which will be sold to end customers and system integrators along with other services such as installed system design, installation support, service and operational support. [1] S. Sabesan, M. Crisp, R. V. Penty and I. H. White, "Wide Area Passive UHF RFID System using Antenna Diversity Combined with Phase and Frequency Hopping," IEEE Transactions on Antennas.