Smartrac Technology Blends Convenience, Safety for Vitamix

Smartrac is providing high-performance blending equipment manufacturer Vitamix with near field communication (NFC) technology that takes customer convenience and operational safety to a new level.
 
Officially launched on Dec. 26, 2016, and showcased at upCES in Las Vegas (Jan. 5-8, 2017), Vitamix’s new Ascent and Venturist blenders utilize Smartrac’s NFC technology to surpass conventional blending machines in both functionality and safety. With NFC readers built into the appliance base, custom-built NFC tags embedded in the supplied and separately sold containers and cups can automatically change multiple operating parameters (up to 140) by just putting the container on the appliance base.
 
The NFC solution can modify program settings, button functions, ramp rates or maximum time settings making it easier than ever to prepare steaming-hot soups, frozen sorbets, delicious smoothies and other recipes that provide culinary experiences unknown before.
 
NFC also plays key a key role in several innovative safety functions, imposing button restrictions for safety if needed, for example. Combined with reed switches controlling the NFC tag antenna and coil, Smartrac’s NFC tags are a key element for a sophisticated wireless interlock system for the new blender models. For example, the heat-producing soup program will be deactivated when the To-Go Cup is placed on the machine.
 
For Smartrac, developing the NFC solution for Vitamix posed a real challenge, as the embedded NFC tag not only has to interact properly with the reed switches, but also has to be molded in the container housings, surviving the molding process, years of heat and vibration under use, and potentially thousands of dishwasher cycles. Smartrac passed that test to Vitamix’s satisfaction with a customized NFC tag utilizing NXP’s NTAG216 IC. As part of the solution, Smartrac also produces the related parts of the SELF-DETECT container housings with embedded NFC tags and coils molded in.
 
“With our new products we are really elevating the culinary experience of our customers while complying with the strictest security regulations of today and tomorrow. Furthermore, we just tapped into what’s possible with NFC. In the near future there will not only be other blender models and containers with that technology, but also smartphone apps and all-new functionalities which take our customers’ experience to the next level,” said Dave Kolar, senior engineering manager at Vitamix.