Connecting Billions of Devices, One at a Time: Impinj

The Internet of Things (IoT) is slated to dominate consumerism in the coming years. The concept of IoT involves a set of connected devices that exchange data and carry out certain functions. Manufacturers are investing enormous amounts of money into developing a range of appliances that would be interconnected in a network and exchange data to make things simpler for users. By connecting everyday items to the internet, they can be remotely operated to serve their users better.

A company named Impinj provides solutions for RFID (Radio frequency identification devices) as well as software for the same. The platform developed by Impinj connects everyday items to the internet, delivering digital life to the physical world. Impinj is helping companies around the world increase sales, improve efficiency, and deliver compelling experiences. If you’ve purchased apparel from a major retailer like Macy’s or Zara, run a race like the New York City Marathon, enjoyed a drink from a Coca-Cola Freestyle soda fountain, or checked bags at airports worldwide like Las Vegas McCarran then you’ve probably interacted with Impinj. Its platform enables wireless connectivity to billions of everyday items such as apparel, race bibs, golf balls, and luggage and delivers each item’s unique identity, location, and authenticity to business and consumer applications.

The company’s flagship technology is called RAIN RFID. It is a passive (battery-free) wireless technology system that connects billions of everyday items to the Internet, enabling businesses and consumers to identify, locate, authenticate and engage each item. RAIN RFID is used in a wide variety of applications, including inventory management, patient safety, asset tracking, and item authentication. RAIN is the fastest growing segment of the RFID market and uses a single, global standard: UHF Gen 2 (ISO/IEC 18000-63). RAIN has connected over 20 billion items to date.

Impinj makes products that find applications for a range of industries

Item Intelligence for Retail

Retail competition is fierce, shoppers are demanding, and operations are more complex than ever. How can retailers focus their efforts on investments that are truly transformational and gain a competitive edge? Leading retailers are implementing RAIN RFID as a foundational technology to boost their bottom line through optimized store operations, engaging in-store customer experiences, and data-driven decision-making. The Impinj platform connects billions of items to applications, powering the Internet of Things and delivering accurate real-time inventory data. By adding RAIN RFID tags to individual items and deploying a mix of readers and gateways, retailers can deliver seamless shopping experiences and execute reliable omnichannel operations.

With RAIN RFID technology, retailers can achieve up to 99% accurate inventory data across stores and distribution centers, take inventory instantly without disturbing shoppers, and always know where items are located—reducing out-of-stocks and unnecessary markdowns. Through item-level data, retailers can continuously improve their operations, make critical business decisions with confidence, and enhance the customer experience—creating an advantage in today’s demanding retail market.

Healthcare Item Intelligence

Every healthcare enterprise is challenged to deliver the best possible patient care while reducing costs and improving outcomes. According to the Harvard Business Review, more than half of the healthcare executives surveyed believe their delivery model is in need of innovation and disruption to be competitive and successful in the future. Impinj Item Intelligence helps healthcare providers know where medical supplies, equipment, and staff are located at all times, keeping the focus on patient care and not on operational tasks. With Impinj healthcare solutions, hospitals and other medical facilities can save time, reduce inventory spend, and improve patient care – allowing clinicians to spend more time doing what they do best. Item Intelligence is the data that streams wirelessly from items tagged with RAIN RFID technology. It provides real-time, actionable information about each tagged item’s identity, location, and authenticity. Technical advances in RAIN RFID have lowered costs and improved tag performance, making adoption and utilization easier and more affordable.

Item Intelligence for Supply Chain & Logistics

As companies drive toward efficiency, they look to the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to automate and streamline their supply chain and logistics operations. Impinj Item Intelligence provides key information about the location of pallets, packages or individual items, such as parts and assets, as they move in, out, and through a business. Impinj connects information about these items with existing software systems to automate the processes that run businesses. The Impinj platform provides Item Intelligence—real-time, actionable information about an item’s identity, location, and authenticity. Item Intelligence allows companies to automate processes for efficiency and make smart business decisions using quantitative information rather than guesswork. The Impinj platform uses RAIN RFID, a wireless communication technology that uses radio waves to identify and track items. RAIN RFID takes the barcoding concept and digitizes it for the modern world.

Meet the Path-Breaking CEO of Impinj, Chris Diorio

Chris is CEO, Vice Chairman, and Co-Founder at Impinj, an Affiliate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington, and a Director of the RAIN RFID Alliance. Passionate about technology, Chris is a leading pioneer of RAIN RFID and the expansion of the Internet of Things to include tens of billions of everyday items. He has more than 150 issued patents, 69 scholarly publications, and has received numerous awards including EY Entrepreneur of the Year Pacific Northwest, EE Times/EDN Innovator of the Year, AIM Global Ted Williams Award, RFID Journal Special Achievement Award, and the IEEE Paul Rappaport Award. Chris earned his Ph.D. from Caltech and has over 30 years’ experience in computer and radio engineering.

“Leverage IoT to empower businesses and drive sales.”