Inkjet-printed RFID-enabled sensors on paper for IoT and “Smart Skin” applications

Nanotechnology and inkjet-printed flexible electronics and sensors fabricated on paper, plastic and other polymer substrates are introduced as a sustainable ultra-low-cost solution for the first paradigms of Internet of Things, “Smart Skins” and “Zero-Power” applications. The talk will cover examples from UHF up to the millimetre-wave frequency ranges (mmID's), while it will include the state-of-the-art of fully integrated wireless sensor modules on paper or flexible polymers. We will demonstrate the first ever 2D sensor integration with an RFID tag module on paper, as well as numerous 3D multilayer paper-based and LCP-based RF/Microwave Structures, that could potentially set the foundation for the truly convergent wireless sensor ad-hoc networks of the future with enhanced cognitive intelligence and “zero-power” operability through ambient energy harvesting. Examples from wearable (e.g.biomonitoring) antennas and RF modules will be reported, as well as the first integration of inkjet-printed nanotechnology-based (e.g.CNT, graphene) sensors on paper and organic substrates. The talk will close with a discussion about the challenges for inkjet-printed high-complexity modules as future directions in the area of environmentally-friendly (“green”) RF electronics and “smart house” conformal sensors.