RFID Technology From Texas Instruments And RF Code Helps Kids Play It Safe At Florida's Wannado City
Wannado City, which held its grand opening on August 13, 2004 at the Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise, Florida (near Fort Lauderdale), is a first-of-its-kind attraction in the United States. Designed to inspire children from ages 4 to 11, the indoor city allows kids to actively explore a world where they become doctors, dentists, firefighters, archaeologists, actors, television news reporters, chefs, judges, airplane pilots and a host of other professions.
There is a small scale courtroom, circus, television studio, police station, bank, dance club, hospital, and even an airplane with a realistic flight simulator. Included in the general admission fee, each visitor receives a WannaFinder™ plastic wristband, a hybrid wireless bracelet which combines a Texas Instruments 23mm passive, low frequency transponder and an RF Code Mantis™ series active RFID tag.
The WannaFinder wristband communicates information, including a person's location, via radio signals to a series of TI and RF Code readers and makes the information accessible through the many WannaFinder touch screen kiosks situated throughout the park. RF Code's TAVIS™ data management software collects and consolidates data from the active RFID tags, while SafeTzone's patented Real-Time Location Module draws associations among the passive and active data to identify and locate each member of a group.
Groups can easily and securely access the real-time location of their members, on a map of the park, at any time of day in English or Spanish simply by scanning their WannaFinder wristbands at any kiosk. While the active tag communicates a person's location, the passive RF tag automatically identifies visitors as they approach the touch screen kiosks and scan their wristbands, linking them to onscreen icons marking the individual location of any member of their family or group within the park. The instant, real-time location of group members and amenities enables parents and guardians to know where their kids are, while at the same time empowering them to explore career roles with their young peers with unprecedented freedom and safety.
Wannado Entertainment, which plans to open new "cities" in the top 10 U.S. markets over the next several years, is the most recent company to incorporate the SafeTzone Location Services package into an entertainment park. Outdoor deployments of the SafeTzone solution include Paramount's Great America (Santa Clara, CA), Wild Rivers Water Park (Irvine, CA), Dollywood's Splash Country (Pigeon Forge, TN), Wet 'n Wild (Las Vegas, NV) and the soon to be opened Steamboat Springs Ski Resort (Steamboat Springs, CO).
For more information on TI's RFID technology solutions, please visit www.ti-rfid.com or call 1-888-937-6536 (North America) or +1 972-575-4364 (International). For more details regarding RF Code's data management software and active RFID solutions please visit www.rfcode.com or call 1-877-969-2828 (North America) or 1-480-325-4041 (International).
About Texas Instruments RFid Systems
Updated June 2004 ))) Texas Instruments Radio Frequency Identification (TI-RFid™) Systems is an industry leader in radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and the world's largest integrated manufacturer of RFID tags, smart labels and reader systems. With more than 400 million tags manufactured, TI-RFid™ technology is used in a broad range of applications worldwide including access control, automotive, document tracking, livestock, product authentication, retail, sports timing, supply chain, ticketing and wireless payment. For more information, contact TI-RFid™ at 1-888-937-6536 (North America) or +1 214-567-4364 (International), or visit the company's Web site at www.ti-rfid.com.
Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP and analog technologies to meet our customers' real world signal processing requirements. In addition to Semiconductor, the company's businesses include Sensors & Controls, and Educational & Productivity Solutions. TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas and has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more than 25 countries. Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TXN. More information is located on the World Wide Web at www.ti-rfid.com.
About RF Code Inc.
RF Code's TAVIS™ software platform is an Auto-ID data management framework which supports the broad spectrum of Auto-ID devices for data collection, filtering and consolidation. The TAVIS platform also serves as an application bridge to the world's leading information systems. TAVIS-powered solutions enable device-independent data collection from a wide variety of devices including: active RFID readers, passive RFID readers, EPC readers, remote sensors, barcode scanners, Wi-Fi® access points and GPS receivers. The software converts reader data into a standard format that can be managed locally or centrally, and linked to end-user applications that track, locate and identify assets.
RF Code Inc. is a premier designer, developer and manufacturer of active RFID technologies and Auto-ID data management software. Since 1997, the company has developed its high-performance, low cost Mantis™ active RFID systems for long-range wireless data communications that accurately manage and track physical assets, information and personnel. Its TAVIS™ software platform is a leading Auto-ID data management framework for data collection and distribution. RF Code offers a complete Unified Monitoring System (UMS) comprised of RF tags, readers, antennas and data management software. For more information, please visit www.rfcode.com or call 877-969-2828.
About SafeTzone Technologies Corporation
SafeTzone Technologies Corporation is the leading provider of interactive guest location services systems in family destinations. These systems include real-time locating of individuals, amenity location, facility navigation, cashless spending, attraction reservation and park information. SafeTzone is headquartered in Laguna Hills, Calif. The SafeTzone System is also available at theme park and shopping mall locations in Tennessee, Nevada, Florida, and California. Questions about SafeTzone may be directed to its Director of Corporate Sales at 1.949.855.8987.or to its Web site at www.safetzone.com.
About Wannado Entertainment & Wannado City™
Wannado City™ is being launched by Wannado Entertainment, an entertainment company whose vision is to empower kids through the creation of reality-based, interactive properties that entertain and educate. Based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the company is a subsidiary of multinational entertainment corporation CIE (Corporación Interamericana de Entretenimiento, S.A. de C.V.). For more information, visit www.wannadocity.com.