RFID system for the identification of biological samples

We describe a RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) technique suitable for use with the high sample packing densities found in biotechnology laboratories and storage systems. An innovative hardware design overcomes the collision problem. The transponders themselves are stored inside screening coils that can be magnetically disabled, allowing the reading of a single device in a close packed array. The technique can also be used to find the position of a particular transponder. Testing has, so far, been at room temperature but the system has been designed to operate down to liquid nitrogen temperatures.