A Framework for a Low Power on Body Real-Time Sensor System Using UHF RFID

This article details the use of an acceleration measuring system which can transmit in real-time sensor data through UHF RFID to a computer. Existing methods of real-time transmission of sensor data rely on power-intensive Bluetooth or Wi-Fi technologies which result in devices that require large bulky batteries, this causes the overall device size to be high and thus can potentially cause issue during use. By harnessing status flags within a specific UHF RFID chip and custom reader software conforming to the EPC GEN2 standard, continuous streaming data rates of 5.2KBps were achievable. These enhanced data rates were shown to be reliable up to a range of 2.4M with above 99.99% data integrity. The power consumption of this methodology was found to be below 2mW during full power continuous transmission. In summary this article outlines and lays the foundation for the use of UHF RFID to deliver sub-2mW low latency, high reliability streaming methods within the domain of on body transmission.