RFID tags wirelessly provide a wealth of information about products and other items, but can only be read by specialized handheld devices. But that could change soon, as chips with embedded tags and software updates allow everyday smartphones to do the job.
Commonly used passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags do not require batteries. Instead, it is temporarily powered by radio waves emitted by handheld RFID readers.The tag then uses a small integrated antenna to send back a radio signal To that device. That signal contains information about the item to which the tag is attached.
Scientists at the University of California, San Diego, led by Patrick Mercier, Dinesh Bharadia, Shih-Jai Kuo, and Manideep Dunna, recently set out to bring such functionality to consumer smartphones. Their solution consists of a small cheap chip used in tags and a simple software update for phones.
When a smartphone comes within 1 meter (3.3 feet) of the chip, the smartphone’s LTE signal powers the chip. At the same time, the phone sends a query for his Bluetooth signal to the chip, which responds and sends a Wi-Fi signal back to the phone. That Wi-Fi signal could contain information such as fresh food expiration dates, food ingredients, and usage.
The chip itself is 0.5 square inches (3.2 square cm) in size and costs just a few cents to manufacture. A software update simply converts the phone’s outgoing Bluetooth signal into a format that the chip can more easily convert into a Wi-Fi response.
“We have developed a chip for tags that can be read from a distance, like RFID, but in this case using the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities built into the phone,” says Assoc. Professor Mercier told me. “So you can have an RFID-like experience without having to buy additional hardware.”
Scientists now hope to commercialize the technology through spin-off companies or existing industry partners.
Source: University of California, San Diego
