[matthewdgreen]

When I started looking at RFID tech in 2004, the disposable tags cost maybe $.50-$1 but general consensus was the costs would follow a Moore’s law like trajectory, halving every 2-3 years until they were on even the cheapest items. And yet here we are 20 years later and I don’t see RFID checkout systems very often at all. Are the tags still really expensive? Or is it the extra cost of attaching them to packaging?

[ky0ung]

RFID tags are ~10c (Impinj) and are getting cheaper each year. they're widely used in apparel stores. think it'd be tough to justify attaching them to low value items in a grocery store. self checkout prob more effective using computer vision

[manmal]

Are you suggesting to put trillions of copper, silicon, and aluminum parts on disposable items like bananas, so people have a slightly better shopping experience?

[xboxnolifes]

We kind of already do that, just with plastic, adhesive, and ink.

[byyll]

My bananas don't have plastics, adhesive or ink and regardless, adding another chip to them won't make it any better.

[bombcar]

You’ve yet to experience the glory of individually shrink wrapped produce. Bananas and oranges especially egregious but the shrink wrapped watermelon was whole nuther world.

[xboxnolifes]

I was thinking more along the lines of produce stickers.

[byyll]

I've seen it, just rarely.

[manmal]

Yes, that should be reduced, not added to.

[infecto]

We already use plastic bags, paper bags, takeout food boxes, wrap products in plastic and sometimes styrofoam. From an economic perspective its not too far off to think that if the part gets cheap enough you can put it on everything.

[matthewdgreen]

I am not suggesting it. It was widely presented as inevitable once the costs dropped enough. Retail inventory management and checkout is expensive.

[manmal]

Apologies for the strawman then. I just hope humanity can pass on that one, for once.

[nothercastle]

Absolutely worth it

[claytongulick]

When I was messing with RFID for a fulfillment line to improve handling returns, the biggest challenge was orientation.

The cost for an RFID tag is minimal if you can guarantee the proper orientation. If you can't, they get very expensive (relatively speaking).

[djbusby]

Metrc charged $0.40 for single use RFID for cannabis plants starting in 2014.

[bluGill]

things like razors interfere and so they are not accurate enough to use. They probably work great in niches, but they are not a universal answer.