Wireless Communication Textile Based on Passive UHF RFID

We present a prototype system of a user scenario created in ideation workshops organized for experienced speech therapists working with Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). The goal of the workshops was to create concrete user scenarios for people using AAC, by using the possibilities of Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID). Out of the created user scenarios, one was selected to be prototyped and wirelessly evaluated. In this user scenario, a young child with Cerebral Palsy (CP) is sitting in a wheelchair. The child is using Wireless Communication Textile (WCT) patches on the wheelchair table tray to communicate with mother during eating. These WTC patches will create spoken words via a mobile phone application. In this study, we prototyped the user scenario by fabricating the patches with passive Ultra-High Frequency (UHF)RFID technology. Through versatile wireless measurements, we concluded that passive UHFRFID technology with a mobile RFID reader can be used to create a mobile AAC solution for wheelchair users.