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NFC Innovation Awards

This is the home of the NFC Innovation Awards, including all the information you'll need to enter the competition:

What is NFC?

Near Field Communication (NFC) - is a short-range wireless communication technology on the verge of changing the face of mobile handset usage and mobile applications where "touch is the new clickTM". The interaction takes place between a reader/writer device and a tag. Topaz® is one of only three proprietary tag types mandated by the NFC Forum, the global standards body for NFC and has a 96 Byte memory.

Innovision sees three key areas of application for NFC:

Service initiation: where the technology is used to "unlock" another service (such

as opening another communication for data transfer)

Peer to peer: where NFC is used to enable communication between two

smart devices

Payment & ticketing:where NFC will build on the emerging smart ticketing and electronic payment infrastructures

How does it work?

NFC is a short-range, standards based wireless connectivity technology, based on RFID technology that uses magnetic field induction to enable communication between electronic devices in close proximity. It provides a seamless medium for the identification protocols that validate secure data transfer. This enables users to perform intuitive, safe, contactless transactions, access digital content and connect electronic devices simply by touching or bringing devices into close proximity.

For NFC devices to communicate, typically one device would be an NFC reader/writer integrated inside a Mobile Phone and the other would be an NFC tag such as Topaz. The tag is essentially an integrated circuit containing data, connected to an antenna that can be read and written by the NFC reader/writer.

In this way, Topaz NFC Forum standards mandated type 1 tags can be programmed using the Nokia 6131 NFC mobile phone handset to perform a variety of functions, three examples of which are explained here:

...a text message, so that every time you touch the tag with the handset it automatically reads the message ready to send

...a bookmark, so you can be taken straight to a specified web address without having to type the URL into your (or anyone else's) NFC phone every time

...a call request

You simply programme the tag once and it will always perform the function you selected.

Innovision have produced three white papers explaining how to commercialise NFC applications, and choose the right tag type for the right NFC application and discussing the move to System on Chip (SoC) integration.

How to programme a tag with a text message

  1. On the main menu select NFC then select transmit to tag
  2. You then have a number of choices, select text message
  3. Enter the phone number you want the tag to point to and write the text message. For example, a message to your spouse's mobile saying "Hi Honey, I'm home!"
  4. To programme the Topaz tag with this message you then need to select Transmit and type the text message title; lets call this one "Home", then press okay.
  5. Select Transmit then touch the Topaz tag to transmit and the screen will read Transmission Successful and you can select exit to end the process (hint: be sure to select Transmit before touching the tag otherwise the phone will try to read the unprogrammed tag and will say "Unknown Service Type"). That's all there is to it!

Now every time you touch that tag you will see:

"Text message detected", "Home" as the name selected for that message, and the destination phone number you programmed. If you then select send, the text message will be sent to that number. So you could stick a tag label like this in your hallway and always let your partner know that you have arrived home safely without having to type the same text message every day.

How to programme a tag with a website bookmark

 

1. On the main menu select Web

2. Select bookmarks then New Bookmark

3. Enter the web address that you want the bookmark to go to, for example: www.innovision-group.com/topaz_tags.php

4. Check the URL is correct then select ok

5. Give the shortcut a name which will mean something to you, in this case we'll call it "Topaz" (Hint: if this is the first time you've used the web on the phone your service provider may ask you if you want to adapt the web page for viewing on the phone as not all web sites have mobile versions. It's up to you whether or not you decide to automatically adapt the view of the website)

6. The named bookmark will then appear on your list of bookmarks

7. Select options then transmit to tag and touch the phone to the tag to transmit

Now every time you touch that tag you will see:

"Bookmark detected:"

Topaz

http://www.innovision-group.com/topaz_tags.php

and select "start" to go directly to that website. This could be useful if you want people to be able link to your website from a physical object such as a poster or a manual.

How to programme a tag with a call request

1. As before, on the main menu select NFC then select transmit to tag

a. You then have a number of choices, select call request

b. If you already have names entered into your phone you can use one of those, but for this example we'll assume that you have none.

c. Select "add" and enter the name and number of the person for whom you want to programme a call request tag.

d. Select "save" to save the contact details to the phone

e. Select "options" then scroll up or down to When prompted, touch the phone to the tag to transmit

f. The phone will display "transmission successful" to confirm that you have placed a name and phone number on that tag. When the tag is touched again by the NFC phone it will display the name and number of the person and "call now?" so the call can be made by selecting "call".

How to get a software development kit to develop JavaTM MIDlets

Nokia provide a downloadable software development kit for the Nokia 6131 NFC handset on their website.

What are the NFC Innovation Awards?

Innovision Research & Technology, developer of the NFC standard number 1 tag type format, Topaz®, has launched the first competition aimed at UK based organisations, the "NFC Innovation Awards", to find the most innovative NFC ideas of the future.

It is hoped that by actually using an NFC-enabled phone to efficiently encode these tags such as Topaz®, would-be developers will gain a valuable understanding of the opportunities and challenges presented by NFC technology.

Why enter?

Prizes: The winning team will receive first prize of an elegant trophy and £1000, with trophies and cheques for £500 and £250 going to second and third placed teams respectively. All three teams of finalists will be invited to join the sponsor organisations Innovision R&T, Electronics Weekly and Glue4 in London for the announcement of the winners and prize giving.

The challenge: To provide the most innovative and novel applications of NFC using an NFC tag such as TopazTM with a memory of 96 Bytes to be judged against the following criteria:

§ Social - the potential for the Innovation to benefit society as a whole;

§ Economic - the potential financial benefit of the Innovation for businesses, individuals and/or communities;

§ Commercial - the potential for the innovation to be developed into a commercial venture capable of large volume manufacture;

§ Personal - the potential effect of the Innovation on the lives of one or more individuals;

§ Learning - the addition to the body of knowledge already in existence that has been made in the creation of the Innovation;

§ Novelty - the originality of the Innovation;

§ Logistics - the potential contribution of the Innovation to the way goods and services are delivered to the consumer or end user;;

§ Technical efficiency - the best use of 96 bytes; and

§ Collaboration - the potential contribution of the Innovation to creating an effective working environment and/or organisation culture

PR for the teams: Publicity before, during and after the competition using case studies based on the project abstracts submitted will constitute excellent PR for the teams involved, backed by Electronics Weekly and the wider press as competition coverage rolls out.

Early exposure to NFC: By learning how to use the tags and phones together, entrants will enjoy early exposure to a technology about to rollout commercially and get a head start in thinking about how to develop applications utilising it.

Going global: Last year the NFC Forum, the global standards body for NFC, launched the 1st NFC Competition in Monaco. It is hoped that a similar event in 2008 will allow competition entrants to publicise their achievements on an international stage.

What are the prizes?

All finalist teams will receive an elegant glass trophy, plus the winning team will receive a prize of £1000, second place £500, and £250 for the third placed finalist team.

How do you enter?

The competition requires teams of up to four participants to produce an abstract proposing a novel NFC application, and if finalists, a demonstration of the application for a Topaz tag used with a NFC-enabled mobile phone handset.

To enter, simply complete the entrance form and you will receive a competition entry kit comprising:

A free set of 10 Topaz NFC tags and a Topaz data sheet explaining how the tags work. Tags are available in four form factors suitable for a variety of uses:

  • 30mm round adhesive labels
  • 38mm x 38mm square adhesive labels
  • 38mm x 38mm square cards
  • ID1 Credit card sized cards

In addition you'll need a Nokia 6131 NFC mobile phone handset, available to buy from Glue4 via their website www.Glue4.com. A limited number are available for loan for the duration of the competition to organisations subject to status, terms and conditions are available from NFC Innovation Awards Team Handset Loan.

The Nokia software development kit is available from the Nokia website and further help with any software queries can be found at the developers online forum.

Competition entrants must be able to demonstrate their project and provide an abstract explaining how the project works and how it meets each of the judgement criteria. Criteria include the project's benefit to society (social); its commercial potential; the possible beneficial effect on the lives of individuals (personal); originality (novelty); and its potential for creating an effective working environment or organisation culture (collaboration), among a number of others.

Innovision's David Wollen, adds: "It's fair to say that we have some of the best engineering skills in the UK, and as a British-based company ourselves, we wanted to create a competitive environment where teams from around the country could present their ideas and come up with commercial, novel and potentially life-changing mobile applications based on NFC technology."

Where can I go for ideas?

Examples of applications already developed using the Topaz tag include a variety of smart posters used for interactive timetables for transport, information and even product download whilst other use cases such as the Seeing Eye Phone from VTT, and Hotel Nova by University of Nice have used Topaz tags to provide support for the disabled and improve the travel experience of hotel visitors.

It is anticipated that entrants will expand further on the creativity that these projects demonstrate.

"NFC-enabled mobile applications are evolving rapidly and we felt now was the right time to see what creative design and development skills are out there that can take advantage of a technology that enables a new generation of mobile devices to communicate simply by touch," explains Innovision Research & Technology CEO, David Wollen.

"The beauty of NFC lies in its simplicity and flexibility - by integrating an NFC tag into an everyday object, individuals can simply touch an NFC-enabled device against the tag and receive relevant, specific and timely information. In effect, it makes any object smart."

Who is running the awards?

The competition, aimed at UK-based teams, is run by Innovision R&T in association with Electronics Weekly, with Nokia 6131 NFC mobile phone handsets supplied by Glue4.

Why now?

The NFC Forum, the global standards body for NFC, recently announced the four standards mandated tag types. This means that the market is now set for widespread adoption of the technology in a whole range of applications. Topaz is the NFC Forum standards mandated number 1 tag type for NFC.

What is the timescale?

The competition timing coincides with the start of the new academic year, with a deadline for entry of mid November. A panel will then judge entries and shortlist the best entries for a final judging and presentation ceremony to be held in London during December.

What do I do now?

Email NFCInnovationAwards@innovision-group.com for a free entrants' pack, which contains:

  • Ten Topaz tags with disclaimer card
  • A technical datasheet
  • Terms and conditions for the competition which need to be signed by all participants and a signed copy returned or faxed as below
  • Terms and conditions for the loan of a phone

Entry Form, Terms and Conditions

Please ensure that all participants in the team complete and sign these terms and conditions and fax them for the attention of:

NFC Innovation Awards

Fax Number: 01285 888190

And the very best of luck!