Melbourne-based bluechiip is a tracking technology company that was listed on the Australia Stock Exchange in June 2011. The company's tracking and retrieval solutions have the capability to redefine the future of biobanking and biorepositories by enabling the efficient management of high valuable biosamples in cryogenic environments, where conventional radio frequency identification (RFID) and barcodes may not be enough.

The firm bluechiip was founded in 2003 by Dr Ronald Zmood and Mr Brett Schwarz to develop battery-less RFID memory and temperature sensing devices that boast of having several unique attributes. The system utilizes a novel method of programming and storing data on the memory device and can be fabricated inexpensively using low-cost micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) technology manufacturing techniques.

In October 2012, bluechiip partnered with a Swiss company Inpeco, which designs and manufactures automation systems for biological sample processing in clinical laboratories, to develop Inpeco products that would integrate bluechiip's technology. Mr Brett Schwarz, CEO, MD and co-founder of bluechiip spoke to BioSpectrum about bluechiip's technology and expansion plans.

Please tell us about bluechiip and how the company is involved in the healthcare and life science sectors?
The firm, which listed on the Australian Securities Exchange last year, has developed a wireless tracking solution for the healthcare and life science, security, defense and manufacturing industries that represents a generational change from current methods such as labels (hand-written and pre-printed), barcodes (linear and 2D) and microelectronic integrated circuit (IC)-based RFID.

The unique tag is based on MEMS technology and contains no electronics. The tag can either be embedded or manufactured into a storage product, such as vials or bags. Easy identification, along with any associated information from the tag such as temperature can be detected by a reader, which can also sense the temperature of the tagged items. The traditional identification technologies have significant limitations. Whereas a barcode requires a visible tag or line-of-sight optical scan, bluechiip technology does not. Unlike labels, barcodes and RFID, bluechiip technology can sense the temperature of each item on which a tag is attached or embedded in.