Fabrication and Initial Evaluation of Hand-Stitched RFID Dipole Antennas

This study describes the design and initial wireless performance evaluation of hand-stitched passive Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag antennas on Aida cloth. Four types of dipole tags are constructed using combinations of cotton and conductive threads. All tags are measured for their wireless performance in air (2-4 meters read ranges throughout the global UHF band) and on body (peak read ranges of around 3.5 meters). The results demonstrate that this hand-stitching method can be adopted for practical use: on pillowcases, blankets, and other home apparel textiles. Thus, the possibilities in home crafting are countless.