Battery-Free Sensor Network Based Navigation Systems:Theory and Applications

Battery-free sensor networks are an emerging field with very promising applications. Passive sensors without batteries can resist extreme conditions and can be placed in practically any location, and do not need replacement for a long time. They are the perfect candidates for some of the applications we propose in this paper. Currently they are being used for structure analysis, assembly line control, and jet engine monitoring. We propose to add indoor localization and vehicle navigation to that list. Indoor navigation systems would open the door to many different uses, and embedded tag based road navigation systems would allow vehicles to travel with limited or no GPS connectivity. Overall it is a promising field and one that can benefit immensely from further research.