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GE Develops Passive Tag That Functions as Multiple Sensors
"The proper combination of antenna geometry and sensing material on top of the antenna resulted in the achieved detection limit of toxic gases down to approximately 100 parts per billion concentration," Potyrailo states. Usually, he notes, these kinds of sensor chips indicate only that a specific threshold has been exceeded, without providing an exact level at which the toxin or bacteria is measured.
"To have a smarter sensor," Potyrailo says, "you need a chip and reader that can read that." Because the researchers wanted a system that could use any HF RFID tag, they instead developed software that could be loaded onto an off-the-shelf reader, enabling it to read the data transmitted by that chip. "The beauty of RFID is that the whole infrastructure is already established," he says, "and we don't want to disturb that," by requiring new reader models and tags with special RFID chips.
By choosing passive HF RFID technology, researchers have been able to create a sensor tag that has a very small antenna, requires low reader power and has a relatively short read range. This offers privacy to users who might be concerned about an employee badge being read, for instance, without their knowledge.
One possible use of the technology would be to attach a sensor-tag to the exterior of a cardboard milk carton, to measure contaminants through the receptacle's wall. When the tag is excited by the modified reader, Potyrailo says, it would transmit such data as the level of bacteria in the milk, which it can measure through the cardboard. This data could then be utilized to determine whether or not the milk was spoiled.
According to Potyrailo, the sensor-tag's price is expected to be low enough for the tags to be disposable. They could be marketed by General Electric or another entity, he says, or built into a GE product.
The team is now evaluating the RFID sensors' storage shelf life, Potyrailo says, as well as their long-term stability during operation, and the effects of different environmental conditions on sensor performance.
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"To have a smarter sensor," Potyrailo says, "you need a chip and reader that can read that." Because the researchers wanted a system that could use any HF RFID tag, they instead developed software that could be loaded onto an off-the-shelf reader, enabling it to read the data transmitted by that chip. "The beauty of RFID is that the whole infrastructure is already established," he says, "and we don't want to disturb that," by requiring new reader models and tags with special RFID chips.
By choosing passive HF RFID technology, researchers have been able to create a sensor tag that has a very small antenna, requires low reader power and has a relatively short read range. This offers privacy to users who might be concerned about an employee badge being read, for instance, without their knowledge.
One possible use of the technology would be to attach a sensor-tag to the exterior of a cardboard milk carton, to measure contaminants through the receptacle's wall. When the tag is excited by the modified reader, Potyrailo says, it would transmit such data as the level of bacteria in the milk, which it can measure through the cardboard. This data could then be utilized to determine whether or not the milk was spoiled.
The team is now evaluating the RFID sensors' storage shelf life, Potyrailo says, as well as their long-term stability during operation, and the effects of different environmental conditions on sensor performance.
