Evaluation of the electromagnetic absorption in furniture for the integration of UHF-RFID tags

RFID technology is widely used for the purpose of object tracking and supply chain management, and it is expanding to other applications such as security, electronic payment, and healthcare. In order to achieve efficient uses and appropriate designs of RFID systems, the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and materials needs to be determined. This paper addresses this problem and its goal is to study the behavior of electromagnetic radiation with an extended set of materials found in the manufacturing of furniture. This is relevant for the integration of RFID in indoor solutions, where furniture is omnipresent (e.g. hotels, homes, hospitals). In order to evaluate the electromagnetic absorption for the set of materials, it has been built an experimental testbed that ensures the transmission of RFID signals trough the target materials while isolating the measurements from external effects and interferences that may distort the results. This paper presents the results and conclusion about the applicability of the different types of UHF-RFID tags for each one of the materials evaluated.