Cambridge, MA, July 27, 2010 – ThingMagic, Inc. (www.thingmagic.com), a leading developer of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, today announced its UHF RFID readers have been implemented as part of an innovative network of presence-based, touch-sensitive information displays at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab. This innovative content delivery and management system has been installed within the Media Lab’s new 163,000-square-foot building - a showplace for new concepts in design, communications systems, and collaborative research - and was recently showcased at the Lab’s Diagonal Thinking sponsor meeting.

Home to 25 research groups conducting more than 300 research projects, the Media Lab is also host to a wide variety of groundbreaking educational activities and events serving thousands of visitors each year. To provide visitors with real-time information about the Lab’s numerous groups and projects, more than 30 interactive displays have been installed at the entrances of research labs and other areas throughout the Lab’s newly expanded complex. Each display responds to both touch and presence, allowing visitors to build a downloadable, personalized portfolio of their visit; view, bookmark, and save information on research projects; and share their experiences with others who are interacting with the system.

Visitor presence - sensed through the integration of RFID readers into each display and RFID badges worn by guests - automates the creation of personal profiles, enables personalized content delivery and group information sharing, and delivers aggregated location and activity data to centralized display screens so individuals can track the progress of their visit. Each visitor’s portfolio is also saved and can be accessed online at a later date.

"RFID is the missing link between online information and the real world, and we look forward to continuing our work with ThingMagic to make that gap seamless, productive, and commonplace," says Andrew Lippman, Media Lab associate director and head, Viral Communications group. "The Media Lab’s interactive information network is just the tip of the iceberg."

ThingMagic’s ties to Media Lab date back several years. Founded in 2000 by five MIT graduates, ThingMagic was formed to create a bridge between the present and future of technologies. Initially created as an RFID consulting company, ThingMagic has grown over the last 10 years to become a leading provider of embedded RFID products and advanced development services, delivering innovative RFID and sensor solutions to customers across a broad set of markets and applications.

“RFID-enabled products provide more natural ways for humans and computers to interact with information, and each other,” said Tom Grant, Chairman and CEO, ThingMagic. “We are honored to contribute to the Media Lab’s use of cutting-edge technologies to create such an impactful and thought provoking educational environment.”

About the MIT Media Lab he MIT Media Lab applies an unorthodox research approach to envision the impact of emerging digital technologies on everyday life–technologies that promise to fundamentally transform our most basic notions of human capabilities. Unconstrained by traditional disciplines, Lab designers, engineers, artists, and scientists work atelier-style in some 25 research groups conducting more than 300 projects that range from neuroengineering, to how children learn, to developing the city car of the future. Lab researchers foster a unique culture of learning by doing, developing technologies that empower people of all ages, from all walks of life, in all societies, to design and invent new possibilities for themselves and their communities. For more information on the Media Lab: http://www.media.mit.edu.

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