IntroductionBarcodes are used everywhere around us. They are used to track products during shipping, track products in a store, and speed up and improve the checkout process, as well as allow quicker access to information. Barcodes began to be widely used in the 1970s. This started a big movement in the consumer goods industry, speeding up the checkout process and allowing for easier inventory tracking. However, like all technologies, barcodes have been improved several times and are being replaced by better and more efficient systems (Bonsor). RFID, or radio frequency identification, is the new system that is replacing the use of barcodes. RFID tags allow users to more quickly obtain information from the object identified by the RFID tag (Evans, 2012, p. 190). RFID tags are more useful and will eventually completely replace barcodes because they allow the user to scan the object without physically touching it or optically reading anything on it. Instead of reading an identification number which is then searched in a database, it is possible to collect information directly from the tag (Bonsor). How it works RFID is a technology that has been developed, updated and enhanced since the year 1970 (Bonsor). Technology has advanced, making it more efficient, usable and productive. RFID uses radio waves to transmit information from an RFID tag to an RFID reader. These radio waves are similar to those transmitted through wireless networks, except they generally have a shorter range (What is RFID, n.d.). There are two main types of RFID tags: active and passive. The difference between these two types is how and when they transmit stored information. An active RFID tag is connected to a power source, ge...... middle of paper ......ete (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.Totty, M. (2009, June 2). Business Solutions New Ways to Use RFID. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 14, 2011, from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203771904574175882366028604.htmlVenkateswara Rao, G.G., Veereswara Swamy, G.G., Srinivasa Rao, G.G., & Madhusudhana Reddy, P.P. (2011). Design and implementation of hardware and software systems for object tracking using RFID technology. International Journal of Advanced Networking and Applications, 2(6), 923-926. What is RFID?. (n.d.). Technovelgy.com Where science meets fiction. Retrieved November 14, 2011, from http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Technology-Article.asp?ArtNum=1Yen-Chieh, H., & Chih-Ping, C. (2011). RFID applications in hospitals: a case study for the emergency room. Journal of communication and information technology, 8(7), 578-585.