6533b872fe1ef96bd12d3843

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Pervasive body sensing: Implanted RFID tags for vascular monitoring

subject

description

Beside the common logistic usages of the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, one of the most innovative and promising applications is the possibility to process the backscattering signals to detect additional information about the target, such as its state and its evolution, without any specific embedded sensor or local power supply. The rationale of this idea lies in the clear dependence of the tag's input impedance and reflectivity on the physical and geometrical features of a real target. When the object where the tag is attached on undergoes some changes along with the time, the tag's electrical features also change and these variations can be remotely detected by the reader [1]. The possibility to remotely monitor processes in evolution opens interesting applications in telemedicine and human health monitoring in general, especially concerning implantable devices. One or more battery-less RFID radio-sensors could be implanted inside the human body in close proximity for example to an area surgery treated or perfectly integrated with other implanted devices and interrogated by an external reader. Based on the sensors response at different times (days or even hours) a map of the geometrical or chemical changes of the tissues could be produced, thus evaluating the healing process and possible complications, e.g. abnormal cell proliferations, edema and inflammatory events (Fig.1).