Ubiquitous Flying Sensor Antennas: Radiofrequency Identification Meets Micro Drones

Tag-copter is an architecture of dynamic and self-relocating sensor devices originating from the synergy between sensor-oriented radiofrequency identification (RFID) and the emerging micro air vehicles technology. Tag-copters integrate a low-cost nano multi-copter with a miniaturized RFID data-logger antenna for the ubiquitous and cooperative monitoring of indoor volumes as well as of harsh environments. This concept is preliminary exploited by means of a theoretical formulation to derive the upper-bound performance of a flying “winged sensor.” The analysis addresses the sensing accuracy versus the flight speed and the reliability of the on-the-flight data exchange with a fixed base-station through backscattering modulation. A first working 16 g prototype, capable of temperature measurement and storage, is experimented in a controlled setup to corroborate theoretical and experimental findings. The same device is then applied in realistic conditions concerning the temperature mapping within indoor environments. Preliminary results demonstrate that the maximum temperature measurement error is of the order of 1 °C along flight trajectories of 30 m. Finally, most of the data stored within the datalogger memory can be correctly uploaded by a flying tag-copter toward a fixed reader provided that the copter flies at approximatively 1 – 1.5 m from it.