Response from: Chris Kapsambelis    (04/15/06 4:13pm)

Why is Wal-Mart so secretive about their tests with the RFID enabled forklift? Do they want to keep any lessons learned to themselves for competitive advantage? If they want others to follow their lead, they need to share what they learn, and publish their work for honest peer review and comment.

The RFID enabled forklift is a major departure from the full automation envisioned with the use of RFID. Location data was to be derived from Bin/Shelf interrogators on a constant real-time basis. This was to enable the automatic detection of items being added or removed from inventory, and the ability for instantaneous inventory counts.

By adding location tags that will be read for Pick and Place transactions, the process is reminiscent of the use of Barcode based systems that require manual inputs. Why is the Wal-Mart approach any more accurate or efficient?