Passive RFID-Based Control Interface Integrated Into Clothing and Furniture

This paper presents an early prototype of a passive ultra-high frequency (UHF) radiofrequency identification (RFID) -based control interface. By using two types of gestures, hand tap and body movement, these tags are used as furniture- and clothing-integrated inputs. An extra tag, called a gesture initiator, is integrated into the system to prevent unintentional tag detection. After initiating the gesture tag, the user has a specific time to activate any input tag; otherwise, no output is triggered, and the user must reactivate the gesture initiator tag. Both gestures work by making a specific input tag non-detectable to an RFID reader. The prototype system was tested in an office environment in two test setups, furniture and clothing setups, where two testers successfully triggered applications—turning a light-emitting diode (LED) on or off, making a phone call, and sending a message—by using the two gestures. Next, extensive system reliability evaluation and improvement was carried out in versatile practical scenarios, where a tag can be accidentally blocked by the user or by someone else who passes by between the tag and the reader. The final results of this study suggest that the use of a gesture initiator tag significantly improves system reliability. This system can be integrated into clothing or furniture to control applications remotely and make a quick call or message without requiring a mobile phone at hand.