A team of Stanford University researchers have developed a small Wi-Fi device that behaves similarly to a radio frequency identification tag, sending a unique identifier that indicates where it is located, but doing so via Wi-Fi access points without impacting the Wi-Fi network where the tag is located. The solution, known as HitchHike, consists of a small tag—which could cost the same as an ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID tag—as well as standard Wi-Fi access points and a smartphone, tablet or laptop. The HitchHike tag captures a transmission from a Wi-Fi access point, and then, in turn, transmits its own Wi-Fi signal to a receiver—a mobile phone, laptop or other Wi-Fi-enabled device. In that way, the tags do not interfere with other traffic on the Wi-Fi network. Learn how the tag can be used in the future and what sectors are most likely to be among the early adopters.
Speaker: Pengyu Zhang, Postdoctoral Researcher, Stanford University