A range of information is stored in an electronic microchip. This microchip is used in conjunction with an antenna that sends and receives information by radiofrequency.

A RFID system has the following components:

• an RFID tag containing data about an object
• an antenna used to transmit the RF signals between the tag and reader
• a reader/encoder receiving RF transmissions from the tag and transferring the data to an information system for processing

RFID technology aims to optimize data acquisition whilst adapting to the existing information system.