U.S. DoD Determines RuBee Has a HERO Zero Safe Separation Distance from Fused Ordnance

STRATHAM, N.H. — Visible Assets announced that RuBee (IEEE 1902.1) is the first wireless technology tested by the U.S. Department of the Navy with a zero Safe Separation Distance (SSD) for tags, portable handheld readers and base stations on HERO SAFE and HERO UNSAFE ordnance. Report 8020/SER Q52/2250, dated May 18, 2012 and based on MIL-STD 464C, covers near-touching use of RuBee base stations, 1T tags, and pRap readers in proximity to HERO UNSAFE/UNRELIABLE ordnance.

Other wireless RF technologies (RFID, WiFi, ZigBee, Bluetooth, UWB) have tags that may be applied to ordnance, but their readers typically carry SSDs of 3 to 12 feet — making reads near HERO UNSAFE ordnance a risk. RuBee tags can be safely read.

“This is a landmark result for RuBee and IEEE 1902.1, and is the first Auto-ID technology where both tags and readers have obtained a zero SSD under HERO tests for fused ordnance,” said John K. Stevens, CEO of Visible Assets.

“HERO tests by the U.S. Navy is one of the most demanding and important RF safety programs in the world. Because RuBee is magnetic, not RF, the Navy had to develop a new magnetic safety test protocol for fused ordnance under MIL-STD 464C,” said Jason August, Chief Technology Officer of Visible Assets. “These test protocols have all been based on worst-possible-case scenarios with large safety factors.”