Concrete seems like it would be one of the least advanced materials in any construction project - versions of the stuff have been used for thousands of years.  Yet the Freedom Tower’s builders are (quite literally) adding RFID tags into the mix.

The tags created by Identec Solutions AG track their environment’s temperature, and in this application, help crews know when the concrete has hardened properly.  Peter Linke, the company’s CEO and president, told Sharon Gaudin, “[T]he contractors could measure hardness using a mathematical formula that’s prone to error, or they could take test cylinders to a lab for measuring - but that’s a time-consuming and expensive process.”

Instead, they just stand back and monitor the situation through as much as 20 feet of building material, waiting until the proper readings are attained.  Signal strength isn’t a problem.

Around 20,000 RFID tags will be utilized in the construction of the new World Trade Center complex, according to Gaudin.  If anything, their use should speed up the process.

Linke stated, “Personally, I find it extremely exciting.  It’s going to be the signature building of the United States.  It will be a very important building for a very long time.”

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