In recent years, Radio Frequency Identification technology has transitioned from being a

relatively unknown or niche application into becoming a more widely adopted and integrated

system across various commercial and consumer facing sectors (Moon &Ngai, 2008).

RFID is a widely adopted technology that enables the wireless tracking and monitoring of

various items, assets, and material flows within logistics and supply chain systems. RFID

encompasses a range of technologies that utilize radio waves to automatically identify and gather

data about people or objects, without the need for direct line-of-sight or physical contact (Hu et

al., 2020).

The earliest concept of RFID technology dated back to the 19th century when Michael Faraday

conducted experiments with electromagnetic energy using light and radio waves. However,

RFID technology did not take shape until the mid-20th century ("What's RFID all about: History

and how it works," 2024)

An important phase of the technology was during World War II, where the RFID technology was

employed by the British to identify friend or foe. This system employed radio waves to

distinguish between friendly and enemy aircraft. Transponders were installed on the British

planes to respond with a coded signal when interrogated by a radar ("How did RFID technology

evolve from World War II to today?," 2023). This way, friendly fire was avoided and enemy

planes were detected ("How did RFID technology evolve from World War II to today?," 2023).

The roots of RFID trace back to this period but it was not until Charles Walton’s patent in 1983

that RFID gained prominence.

Post-War research and Theoretical Work by a Swedish scientist and inventor, Harry Stockman in

1948 explored RFID in his paper titled “Communication by Means of Reflected Power”. This
research was considered the first technical idea behind RFID and the research was needed before

the RFID technology could be applied. At that time, radio technology was still in development,

and it took a few more decades for RFID technology to become viable ("Radio-frequency

identification (RFID) | Technology, history, & applications," 2023).

The Invention and Development stage happened when Charles Walton officially invented RFID

in 1983 when he filed patent using the word “RFID” and this marked a pivotal moment in the

RFID technology history (Paragon Group Limited, 2024).

Mainstream Adoption and standardization started in the 1990s. RFID technology began to enter

mainstream use with the introduction of standards that facilitated broader adoption and

interoperability.

The Modern RFID is what we have today where the technology is widely used with different

applications from inventory and warehouse management to contactless payment systems and

continues to evolve with advancements in technology.

 Reference

How did RFID technology evolve from World War II to today? (2023, April 6). LinkedIn.

https://www.linkedin.com/advice/3/how-did-rfid-technology-evolve-from#:~:text=The%20first

%20use%20of%20RFID,between%20friendly%20and%20enemy%20aircraft

Hu, L., Xiang, C., & Qi, C. (2020). Research on traceability of cold chain logistics based on RFID and

EPC. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 790(1), 012167.

https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899x/790/1/012167

Moon, K., & Ngai, E. (2008). The adoption of RFID in fashion retailing: A business value‐added

framework. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 108(5), 596-612.

https://doi.org/10.1108/02635570810876732

Paragon Group Limited. (2024). History of radio frequency ID technology (RFID). The Track and Trace

Experts | RFiD Discovery. https://www.rfiddiscovery.com/en/inspiration/history-radio-frequency-

identification-technology-rfid

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) | Technology, history, & applications. (2023, September 13).

Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/technology/RFID

What's RFID all about: History and how it works. (2024, April 7). Chainlane - Supply Chain

Transparency Platform. https://www.chainlane.io/blog/rfid-history