News: RFID tags to be used in this years Little 500 bicycle race in Bloomington, Indiana



D

dr news

Guest
A team of undergraduate students at Indiana University's School of
Informatics will test radio frequency identification technology at this
year's Little 500 bicycle race in Bloomington.

My son is part of the project team, and if you have any questions contact
him at [email protected]se-no-spam (remove the obvious)

http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=17133

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dr.news //stores.ebay.com/better-price-wireless (not better than you
deserve, just more than you are used to)
--

RFID Technology to be Tested at Little 500
InsideIndianaBusiness.com Report

3/9/2006 9:04:04 AM

A team of undergraduate students at Indiana University's School of
Informatics will test radio frequency identification technology at this
year's Little 500 bicycle race in Bloomington.

The iCycle project is aimed at validating the accuracy and effectiveness of
the technology. Participating riders will wear RFID tags on the back of
their helmets that will send information to a website in real time.

Source: Inside INdiana Business

Press Release

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Some riders hitting the track for this year's running of
the Little 500 races will be sporting a little extra gear that will monitor
their progress.

A team of undergraduate students from the Indiana University School of
Informatics has been given the green flag by the IU Student Foundation to
push ahead with iCycle, a project that will fit some teams' riders with
radio frequency identification (RFID) tags.

"When the system is complete, we hope to be able to update a Web site we are
constructing in real time so that there will be an accurate lap count for
the entire race, by team and by rider," says William C. Woods. He is joined
by Wes Michaels, Sara Fluhr, Gary Shoulders, Jonathan Feigle and Jordan
Martz. They selected the iCycle project as their Capstone project, a
requirement for all graduates of the School of Informatics.

RFID technology uses a tag, antenna, reader and middleware (software). A
central antenna broadcasts a radio signal to the tag, which powers it and
returns the signal. That signal is routed to a reader, which converts the
information into useable data and then sends it to the software to be
formatted and displayed.

Participating Little 500 riders will have the small rectangular-shaped tags
mounted near the rear of their helmets to ensure a clear line of
transmission to the central antenna. The iCycle team, which will be
positioned with their equipment near the first turn, also will record
information about racers' lap times, speeds and speed deviations over
several laps.

The iCycle project is not an official timing system for the Little 500;
rather, it validates the accuracy of that system and the effectiveness of
RFID technology.

"We selected the Little 500 for our project because we really wanted to
challenge ourselves, not only with a new technology but in finding a way to
make the technology applicable to a real-world situation," says Woods, who
will graduate in May with a degree in informatics with a focus in business.

"By choosing to work with the Little 500 we not only get to do this, but we
also get to be involved in an exciting and unique school tradition," adds
Woods.

The Little 500, held annually at Bill Armstrong Stadium, is a
much-anticipated event at IU-Bloomington. The event inspired the 1979 movie,
Breaking Away, filmed on campus and in the Bloomington area. This year's
races gets under way Friday, April 21, with the Women's Little 500, and
concludes the following day with the 56th running of the Men's Little 500.

"We feel that working with the iCycle group is a great partnership with the
IU Student Foundation and we are excited to see the information they
generate from the Little 500," says IUSF Assistant Director Lucas Calhoun.
"The use of RIFD technology has the potential to produce some helpful
information for the Little 500 community."

Manhattan Associates, an Atlanta, Ga.-based supply tracking company, is
loaning the RFID equipment and technical support to the informatics
students.

"The iCycle project demonstrates the diversity of skills and interests that
informatics students possess," says Dennis Groth, assistant professor of
informatics and Capstone director. "The team has excelled at learning how to
integrate diverse technologies, while managing a complex web of partner
organizations."

For more information about the Little 500 and the IU Student Foundation, go
to www.iusf.org.

More details about the IU School of Informatics Capstone Course and students'
2006 projects are at www.informatics.indiana.edu/academics/capstone.asp.

Source: IU School of Informatics
 
"dr news" <[email protected]> writes:

> A team of undergraduate students at Indiana University's School of
> Informatics will test radio frequency identification technology at this
> year's Little 500 bicycle race in Bloomington.
>


Only about ten years too late

They already awarded the T-Shirt for that technology

And supposing they were trying to find ways to improve the accuracy,
what would they use as a yardstick?

--
Le Vent à Dos, Davey Crockett - Actively Opposing Thought Crime
Libérez Ingrid Betancourt, Clara Rojas et les autres
http://www.ingridbetancourt-idf.com/base/
Free Ernst Zundel http://www.zundelsite.org/gallery/donations/index.html
Free David Irving http://www.petitiononline.com/DavidI/petition.html
 
Davey: As new technology, for sure, it isn't new. But its use in day-to-day
is just now seeing the dawn of light. A recent UPS advertisement has a desk
in the middle of the road advising a trucker that he is lost. When asked
how they knew, he said the rfid tags on the packages told em. <duh> old
technology being put into play. Heck, I was on the internet when they
called it arpanet in the 70's, so nothing is really new

We're talking about more use of appropriate technology; it has never before
been used in this bicycle race, the university thinks it is a big deal, and
I am so proud of my son. More accurate? Hah, it is either accurate or not.
But speeds and feeds of the cyclists, rather then just lap times, this is so
kool. Performance per team, by racer, by bike... could be interesting to
some. dr

PS: While he doesn't get the new technology t-shirt, he gets something
better: proud recognition that he is breaking ground in an area that will
the cycle community thinks is kool and appropriate. (sorry, a proud dad
here)

--
dr.news //stores.ebay.com/better-price-wireless (not better than you
deserve, just more than you are used to)


"Davey Crockett" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
"dr news" <[email protected]> writes:

> A team of undergraduate students at Indiana University's School of
> Informatics will test radio frequency identification technology at this
> year's Little 500 bicycle race in Bloomington.
>


Only about ten years too late

They already awarded the T-Shirt for that technology

And supposing they were trying to find ways to improve the accuracy,
what would they use as a yardstick?

--
Le Vent à Dos, Davey Crockett - Actively Opposing Thought Crime
Libérez Ingrid Betancourt, Clara Rojas et les autres
http://www.ingridbetancourt-idf.com/base/
Free Ernst Zundel http://www.zundelsite.org/gallery/donations/index.html
Free David Irving http://www.petitiononline.com/DavidI/petition.html
 
John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
> On Thu, 09 Mar 2006 16:46:43 GMT, "dr news"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >Davey: As new technology, for sure, it isn't new. But its use in day-to-day
> >is just now seeing the dawn of light. A recent UPS advertisement has a desk
> >in the middle of the road advising a trucker that he is lost. When asked
> >how they knew, he said the rfid tags on the packages told em.

>
> That is a scary advertisement. Nice to know that someday (soon) we'll
> be tracked all the time by things we carry around.


What, like cellphones?

At least cellphones can be turned off. Next year's implantable
RFID tags won't be. I predict they'll be marketed as a fashion
accessory - just barely under the skin, so they're visible.
Then there'll be the patriotism angle: if you don't get one,
you must have something to hide. If we don't all cooperate
in this, the terrorists win.

The sad thing is, we'll all go out and get our RFID tags
and then Casey Kerrigan will find out they _still_ don't
have enough resolution to pick Norcal crit finishing order
correctly.
 
On Thu, 09 Mar 2006 16:46:43 GMT, "dr news"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Davey: As new technology, for sure, it isn't new. But its use in day-to-day
>is just now seeing the dawn of light. A recent UPS advertisement has a desk
>in the middle of the road advising a trucker that he is lost. When asked
>how they knew, he said the rfid tags on the packages told em.


That is a scary advertisement. Nice to know that someday (soon) we'll
be tracked all the time by things we carry around.

JT

****************************
Remove "remove" to reply
Visit http://www.jt10000.com
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"dr news" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>A team of undergraduate students at Indiana University's School of
> Informatics will test radio frequency identification technology at this
> year's Little 500 bicycle race in Bloomington.
>
> My son is part of the project team, and if you have any questions contact
> him at [email protected]se-no-spam (remove the obvious)
>
> http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=17133
>
> --
> dr.news //stores.ebay.com/better-price-wireless (not better than you
> deserve, just more than you are used to)
> --
>
> RFID Technology to be Tested at Little 500
> InsideIndianaBusiness.com Report
>
> 3/9/2006 9:04:04 AM
>
> A team of undergraduate students at Indiana University's School of
> Informatics will test radio frequency identification technology at this
> year's Little 500 bicycle race in Bloomington.
>
> The iCycle project is aimed at validating the accuracy and effectiveness
> of
> the technology. Participating riders will wear RFID tags on the back of
> their helmets that will send information to a website in real time.
>
> Source: Inside INdiana Business
>
> Press Release
>
> BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Some riders hitting the track for this year's running
> of
> the Little 500 races will be sporting a little extra gear that will
> monitor
> their progress.
>
> A team of undergraduate students from the Indiana University School of
> Informatics has been given the green flag by the IU Student Foundation to
> push ahead with iCycle, a project that will fit some teams' riders with
> radio frequency identification (RFID) tags.
>
> "When the system is complete, we hope to be able to update a Web site we
> are
> constructing in real time so that there will be an accurate lap count for
> the entire race, by team and by rider," says William C. Woods. He is
> joined
> by Wes Michaels, Sara Fluhr, Gary Shoulders, Jonathan Feigle and Jordan
> Martz. They selected the iCycle project as their Capstone project, a
> requirement for all graduates of the School of Informatics.
>
> RFID technology uses a tag, antenna, reader and middleware (software). A
> central antenna broadcasts a radio signal to the tag, which powers it and
> returns the signal. That signal is routed to a reader, which converts the
> information into useable data and then sends it to the software to be
> formatted and displayed.
>
> Participating Little 500 riders will have the small rectangular-shaped
> tags
> mounted near the rear of their helmets to ensure a clear line of
> transmission to the central antenna. The iCycle team, which will be
> positioned with their equipment near the first turn, also will record
> information about racers' lap times, speeds and speed deviations over
> several laps.
>
> The iCycle project is not an official timing system for the Little 500;
> rather, it validates the accuracy of that system and the effectiveness of
> RFID technology.
>
> "We selected the Little 500 for our project because we really wanted to
> challenge ourselves, not only with a new technology but in finding a way
> to
> make the technology applicable to a real-world situation," says Woods, who
> will graduate in May with a degree in informatics with a focus in
> business.
>
> "By choosing to work with the Little 500 we not only get to do this, but
> we
> also get to be involved in an exciting and unique school tradition," adds
> Woods.
>
> The Little 500, held annually at Bill Armstrong Stadium, is a
> much-anticipated event at IU-Bloomington. The event inspired the 1979
> movie,
> Breaking Away, filmed on campus and in the Bloomington area. This year's
> races gets under way Friday, April 21, with the Women's Little 500, and
> concludes the following day with the 56th running of the Men's Little 500.
>
> "We feel that working with the iCycle group is a great partnership with
> the
> IU Student Foundation and we are excited to see the information they
> generate from the Little 500," says IUSF Assistant Director Lucas Calhoun.
> "The use of RIFD technology has the potential to produce some helpful
> information for the Little 500 community."
>
> Manhattan Associates, an Atlanta, Ga.-based supply tracking company, is
> loaning the RFID equipment and technical support to the informatics
> students.
>
> "The iCycle project demonstrates the diversity of skills and interests
> that
> informatics students possess," says Dennis Groth, assistant professor of
> informatics and Capstone director. "The team has excelled at learning how
> to
> integrate diverse technologies, while managing a complex web of partner
> organizations."
>
> For more information about the Little 500 and the IU Student Foundation,
> go
> to www.iusf.org.
>
> More details about the IU School of Informatics Capstone Course and
> students'
> 2006 projects are at www.informatics.indiana.edu/academics/capstone.asp.
>
> Source: IU School of Informatics
>



RFID never used in a bicycle race? Are you sure? I'm pretty sure that's
the technique the 'tags' attached to bikes in the major tours use...
It might not be the new generation of devices but I'm reasonable sure
they've used 'passive radio transponders' to track riders over points in the
course for some time.

Don't be disheartened, my undergraduate project was a GPS based car
navigation system: Ground breaking stuff in 1994, almost!

Skippy
 
On 9 Mar 2006 09:03:29 -0800, "[email protected]"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
>> That is a scary advertisement. Nice to know that someday (soon) we'll
>> be tracked all the time by things we carry around.

>
>What, like cellphones?


I guess. I don't own one.

JT

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Remove "remove" to reply
Visit http://www.jt10000.com
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On Thu, 9 Mar 2006 18:19:33 -0000, "Skippy" <[email protected]> wrote:

>RFID never used in a bicycle race? Are you sure? I'm pretty sure that's
>the technique the 'tags' attached to bikes in the major tours use...
>It might not be the new generation of devices but I'm reasonable sure
>they've used 'passive radio transponders' to track riders over points in the
>course for some time.


Not sure if the original message said it was new - I didn't find that
in the excerpted part, although I could have missed it. Testing
doesn't mean new, only that it tests and hopefully advances the use.
Moving RFID into situations where it needs to be easily applied to
more flexible situations and at less expense for low volume
applications is still a necessary process. Now if they can get it to
where a randomly selected team of Chief Ref, Chief Judge and a couple
of officials and promoter types can implement it accurately in a
industrial park crit, in the early morning with maybe a bit of rain
thrown in, the technology has arrived...

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...
 
Back of the helmet? Humm, I think I'll wear my helmet backwards to get
a 12" advantage at the finishline!
And I'll need to practice my body throw instead of the normal bike
throw at the end.

Will they make the 4 guys on each team switch the helmet at each bike
exchange in the little indy 500. I thought the race was really about
which team could get their bike around. Why isn't the rfid tag going
on the bike for each team?

Rick
 
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
>
>
>On Thu, 09 Mar 2006 16:46:43 GMT, "dr news"
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Davey: As new technology, for sure, it isn't new. But its use in day-to-day
>>is just now seeing the dawn of light. A recent UPS advertisement has a desk
>>in the middle of the road advising a trucker that he is lost. When asked
>>how they knew, he said the rfid tags on the packages told em.

>
>That is a scary advertisement. Nice to know that someday (soon) we'll
>be tracked all the time by things we carry around.


Unfortunately some folks are not smart enough to be scared of this. The
good news is that if you are aware of it, you should be able to disable it.
------------------
Alex
 
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...

>What, like cellphones?
>At least cellphones can be turned off. Next year's implantable
>RFID tags won't be.


You would need to be very dumb to go for it.

>I predict they'll be marketed as a fashion
>accessory - just barely under the skin, so they're visible.


Funny, an invisible fashion accessory. Can you say emperors new clothes?

>Then there'll be the patriotism angle: if you don't get one,
>you must have something to hide. If we don't all cooperate
>in this, the terrorists win.


This is the stupidist reason that I can't believe people fall for. What
I always say is I have everyting to hide. It's my right to do so.
--------------------
Alex
 
Alex Rodriguez <[email protected]> writes:


> >accessory - just barely under the skin, so they're visible.

>
> Funny, an invisible fashion accessory. Can you say emperors new clothes?
>


Der Kaiser's New clothes? Take a peek at the Sneak Preview of the cover of next
week's Time

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/public.pages/pn/bush_napo.jpg

--
Le Vent à Dos, Davey Crockett - Actively Opposing Thought Crime
Libérez Ingrid Betancourt, Clara Rojas et les autres
http://www.ingridbetancourt-idf.com/base/
Free Ernst Zundel http://www.zundelsite.org/gallery/donations/index.html
Free David Irving http://www.petitiononline.com/DavidI/petition.html
 
Low volume?

1600 per second!

"Philips UCODE EPC G2 chips feature a one-time programmable memory for
the 96-bit EPC, covers all mandatory commands and provides a selection
of optional commands as specified in the EPCglobal Class 1 Gen 2
standard. The chip uses an anti-collision algorithm that enables the
reading of up to 1,600 labels per second under current US regulations,
and up to 600 labels per second under current European regulations. The
EPC Gen 2 standard also allows for read/write field programmability,
faster tag read/write rates and operation in dense reader environments.
"

Range is a problem. Proper scoring is a problem to account for laps,
free laps, stray chips in shoes, jersies, shorts, gloves, helmets,
specators wandering by.

We will get to the point where there are so many chips in all our
products, you can be tracked by your clothes. No need for implants
which are already approved by the FDA and being used by some
corporations to replace keys for door locks, and id cards for time
clocks.

96 bit. 2^96 power
7,922,800,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 different numbers avialable.
That's enough so every item chiped could have it's own number.

Buy an item with a credit card and your credit card number / name could
be linked to that rfid number allowing you to be tracked everywhere.

I could see a sign at your LBS, Gap, grocery store welcoming you back
by name when you enter a store. A central database of unpaid for
merchandise could make shoplifting rare if a stolen item could be
located every time it passed thru a door at a store, bus station,
library, school. I know, cut the chip out! Humm, what if they put in
a second or third, or make the chips look like thread.

Schools could id students when they enter, or people who should not be
there as well.

Election fraud detection?

People in certain professions are required by law to report child
abuse. I could see future laws that would require chip end users to
report the presence of wanted people to the police: dead beat dads,
outstanding parking tickets, speeders recorded by radar cams, etc.


"Read/write" capability? Yikes, you could mark each rfid tag with the
number of laps completed each time you cross the finish line in a crit!
No need for scoring software, just ask the chip at the finish if a
racer did all the laps.

Rick
 
Curtis L. Russell wrote:

> Now if they can get it to
> where a randomly selected team of Chief Ref, Chief Judge and a couple
> of officials and promoter types can implement it accurately in a
> industrial park crit, in the early morning with maybe a bit of rain
> thrown in, the technology has arrived...


A more useful (from a bike racing application point of view) would be a
homemade photofinish setup.

I can imagine where the video from a std. video camera is processed so
that you extract a line of pixels from each frame and create a
composite which simulates a photofinish from a slit-aperature camera.

it should be pretty easy in matlab or something, so my guess is that
someone has already done this, but i haven't actually seen it
implemented for photofinish (i have seen this type of artistic
photography though). it might be that the result is too blurry or dark
to be practical, but someone should try it.

this would be a good project for a first or second year engineering
student (hey, i'll write you a recommenation!).

ideally the line of pixels should be arbitrary (neither horizontal or
vertical) so you don't have to put too much effort into lining up the
camera with the finish line.
 
On 9 Mar 2006 12:03:46 -0800, [email protected] wrote:

>I can imagine where the video from a std. video camera is processed so
>that you extract a line of pixels from each frame and create a
>composite which simulates a photofinish from a slit-aperature camera.


I've worked with the old-style cameras, as well as several in-between
types, and generally a good motion camera with the necessary speed and
settings works better. Whether greyscale or color, the problem with a
finish line still camera is that you are more subject to the racers
having a clearly distinguishable number or few team mates immediately
about t oconfuse things. A motion camera gives you more opportunities
to pull out numbers and pick out distinguishing characteristics, like
wheel type and shoes, whatever you can get, beyond just jerseys.
Nowadays, more and more teams are matching helmets, so you can't even
use ugly helmets to differentiate.

OTOH, a really messy finish with a motion camera will tempt the
officiating crew to spend too much time pulling the results. With the
old-style cameras, pretty much you had what you had. Funny thing is, a
good crew of number callers with tape recorders or even pad and pencil
can do the best job. Problem is, a lot of times you don't know if
someone is good until it is too late.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...
 
[email protected] wrote:
> John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
>> On Thu, 09 Mar 2006 16:46:43 GMT, "dr news"
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> Davey: As new technology, for sure, it isn't new. But its use in
>>> day-to-day is just now seeing the dawn of light. A recent UPS
>>> advertisement has a desk in the middle of the road advising a
>>> trucker that he is lost. When asked how they knew, he said the
>>> rfid tags on the packages told em.

>>
>> That is a scary advertisement. Nice to know that someday (soon) we'll
>> be tracked all the time by things we carry around.

>
> What, like cellphones?
>
> At least cellphones can be turned off. Next year's implantable
> RFID tags won't be. I predict they'll be marketed as a fashion
> accessory - just barely under the skin, so they're visible.
> Then there'll be the patriotism angle: if you don't get one,
> you must have something to hide. If we don't all cooperate
> in this, the terrorists win.


Ooh. Scary. Can everybody please stand up and freak out? Thank you.
--
Phil, Squid-in-Training
 
Davey Crockett wrote:
> Der Kaiser's New clothes? Take a peek at the Sneak Preview of the cover of next
> week's Time
>
> http://perso.wanadoo.fr/public.pages/pn/bush_napo.jpg


So when are boy george and slimey posing naked for playgirl ? Perhaps some
abu ghraib style pictures could even be published in the gay equivalent.
 

> OTOH, a really messy finish with a motion camera will tempt the
> officiating crew to spend too much time pulling the results. With the
> old-style cameras, pretty much you had what you had. Funny thing is, a
> good crew of number callers with tape recorders or even pad and pencil
> can do the best job. Problem is, a lot of times you don't know if
> someone is good until it is too late.
>
> Curtis L. Russell
> Odenton, MD (USA)
> Just someone on two wheels...


cameras are great for deep results, but I still think the crew is the
best for 1-2-3. With a good crew, you "know" who won. Its an art for
sure, but you just can tell. But you cant get the deeper results cause
you cant get a clean view of the line. Of course, once in a great
while you get a photo finish and need a camera.

past 3rd shouldnt matter anyway, unless its pro. and pro races get the
spendy camera set ups so its a non issue.