UPM RFID, USF Polytechnic and Borda Technology Use RFID Support Floridians Quest to Form Largest Human Awareness Ribbon in the World

On Saturday, Oct. 22, several thousand Florida citizens formed the world’s largest human awareness ribbon in Polk City, FL. UPM RFID, the University of South Florida (USF) Polytechnic and Borda Technology supplied the RFID technology to document their efforts. The three organizations used UHF tags, RFID technology and custom software to accurately count participants of the Big Pink Ribbon event, who hoped to break the Guinness World Record of 3,952 individuals in this category.

Organized by local activist Chris Hazelwood and a committee of more than 30 corporate sponsors and cancer survivors, the Big Pink Ribbon event seeks to boost cancer awareness in a memorable – and highly visual – way. As many as 5,000 individuals will wear pink t-shirts and custom pink lanyards outfitted with UPM Belt UHF tags as they walk onto the tarmac at the Fantasy of Flight, an aviation attraction.

The event will provide foolproof counting, essential to establishing a new Guinness World Record, three ways. First, participants will assemble in groups of 50 and be counted by their team captains. Next, participants will pass under an entrance RFID reader portal with four downward-pointing antennas wired to a PC; the reader will capture participant data and transmit it to a custom asset tracking software program designed by USF Polytechnic and Borda Technology. Third, two volunteers with clickers will count each individual on their assigned side as participants walk single file onto the tarmac to stand in formation. “The RFID system is wonderful and will immediately alert us if we have set the new world record for largest human awareness ribbon,” said Chris Hazelwood, Big Pink Ribbon event organizer.

USF Polytechnic prepared for the event by designing custom software with Borda Technology and testing RFID readers and RFID tags. According to Dr. Ismail Uysal, associate professor in the College of Technology and Innovation at USF Polytechnic, the university was eager to participate in the event. “We saw the Big Pink Ribbon event as a great way to demonstrate the accuracy of RFID technology and introduce the community to the work we do at our RFID lab,” he said.

“UPM RFID is delighted to participate in the Big Pink Ribbon event and put a human face on an important technology,” said Jan Svoboda, sales and marketing director, UPM RFID. “RFID technology can be used not only to streamline critical operational processes, but also deliver 100% accurate data on consumer participation in large-scale events, providing organizations with valuable insights into participant behavior.”