RFID-grid systems: The electromagnetic way to ubiquitous computing

Ubiquitous Sensing and Distributed Computing could be achieved in the next Future by a non conventional re-engineering of the Radiofrequency Identification Technology, when a multitude of tags, or more in general multi-chips systems, eventually doped with material defects will be designed as unique interconnected networks of passive devices glued by near-field electromagnetic interactions. Recently demonstrated improvements in energy scavenging, new kinds of measurable fingerorints, inter-tag communications, as well as sensitivity to changing objects, now suggest the idea of an approaching generation of “disappearing” computers, suitable to be integrated into the environment and having size, processing power and capability, fully scalable according the specific problem. This paper reviews in a unitary way the concept of RFID Grids, their amazing properties and their realistic and futuristic potentialities to achieve sensing smart-skins, self-authenticated devices, distributed wireless-access memory membranes and, in a word, “localized intelligence”.