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Delta Airlines introduces chips for smart luggage (DAL)

BI Intelligence
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avoid paying for a luggage cart by using one that was left in the pickup area outside the terminal by someone who didnt return theirs bonus return them for money
avoid paying for a luggage cart by using one that was left in the pickup area outside the terminal by someone who didnt return theirs bonus return them for money

Reuters/Joshua Lott

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Delta Airlines announced it will be releasing a new system that uses RFID chips placed on passengers' bags to track their location, NBC News is reporting.

The airline hopes that this will help solve the problem of lost baggage, which costs airlines thousands of dollars per year across the globe.

The system will leverage RFID tags connected to each bag that will be scanned by Delta workers, and notifications of the bag’s whereabouts will be pushed to the bag owner via a mobile application. RFID technology has been around for decades and has long been used to track parcels.

Previously, Delta used barcodes to track the whereabouts of baggage. But the new RFID tracking technology is being made available at every Delta counter to be placed on bags around the world. While missing bags have been on the decline recently, experts who spoke to NBC felt as though this would help in the case of a storm where bags are often scattered onboard an aircraft.

Use of the IoT to track assets has been growing lately. Logistics and shipping companies have used sensors to track their assets throughout the supply chain for some time, even using RFID solutions to track their assets. This move by Delta could eventually lead to more airlines following suit and switch from traditional barcodes to RFID chips, if the program is successful.

The growing use of smart luggage is just one small piece of the IoT Revolution, which continues to pick up speed. And when it does, it will change how we live, work, travel, entertain, and more.

From connected homes and connected cars to smart buildings and transportation, every aspect of our lives will be affected by the increasing ability of consumers, businesses, and governments to connect to and control everything around them.

Imagine “smart mirrors” that allow you to digitally try on clothes. Assembly line sensors that can detect even the smallest decrease in efficiency and determine when crucial equipment needs to be repaired or replaced. GPS-guided agricultural equipment that can plant, fertilize, and harvest crops. Fitness trackers that allow users to transmit data to their doctors.

It’s not science fiction. This “next Industrial Revolution” is happening as we speak. It’s so big that it could mean new revenue streams for your company and new opportunities for you. The only question is: Are you fully up to speed on the IoT?

After months of researching and reporting this exploding trend, John Greenough and Jonathan Camhi of BI Intelligence have put together an essential report on the IoT that explains the exciting present and the fascinating future of the Internet of Things.  It covers how the IoT is being implemented today, where the new sources of opportunity will be tomorrow and how 16 separate sectors of the economy will be transformed over the next 20 years.

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  • IoT devices connected to the Internet will more than triple by 2020, from 10 billion to 34 billion. IoT devices will account for 24 billion, while traditional computing devices (e.g. smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, etc.) will comprise 10 billion.

  • Nearly $6 trillion will be spent on IoT solutions over the next five years.

  • Businesses will be the top adopter of IoT solutions because they will use IoT to 1) lower operating costs; 2) increase productivity; and 3) expand to new markets or develop new product offerings.

  • Governments will be the second-largest adopters, while consumers will be the group least transformed by the IoT.

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  • The important role analytics systems, including edge analytics, cloud analytics, will play in making the most of IoT investments

  • The sizable security challenges presented by the IoT and how they can be overcome

  • The four powerful forces driving IoT innovation, plus the four difficult market barriers to IoT adoption

  • Complete analysis of the likely future investment in the critical IoT infrastructure:   connectivity, security, data storage, system integration, device hardware, and application development

  • In-depth analysis of how the IoT ecosystem will change and disrupt 16 different industries

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