Near-Field RF: An Emerging Wireless Discipline

This presentation explains and surveys the emerging RF discipline of near-field technology. First, this talk defines what is meant by the "near field." Then, this talk presents a brief history of near-field technology from Faraday to the present day. In particular, this talk focuses on recent advances in near-field technology for applications like Near Field Communications (NFC), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), and Real Time Location Systems (RTLS). Finally, this talk will discuss the extension of propagation laws and antenna gains to the near-field regime.

Dr. Hans Schantz is Founder, Chairman, and CTO of the Q-Track Corporation (www.q-track.com), a start-up company pioneering a narrowband, low-frequency, low-cost, high-accuracy positioning technology called "Near-Field Electromagnetic Ranging." Dr Schantz earned his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Texas at Austin. His work experience includes stints with IBM, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the ElectroScience Lab of the Ohio State University. In 1999, he joined the Time Domain Corporation in Huntsville, AL as an Antenna Engineer. His pioneering work in ultrawideband (UWB) antennas led to over a dozen patents. He is the author of The Art and Science of UWB Antennas (Norwood, MA: Artech House, 2005). He is also a Senior Member of the IEEE.

Founded in 2002, Q-Track is pioneering a major breakthrough in wireless tracking. Near Field Electromagnetic Ranging (NFER™) technology is an innovative low-frequency wireless tracking technology that excels in complicated indoor environments. Operating in the AM broadcast band (510-1705kHz) under Part 15 power levels, NFER systems can localize tags to an accuracy of approximately 1 ft at ranges of 150ft or further, even in complicated indoor environments. For a video that explains the technology, see http://www.q-track.com/Q-track.wmv. With funding from commercial and government development contracts and seed capital from angel investors, Q-Track recently completed development of an Evaluation Kit (EVK) system for sale to potential partners and licensees.