Radio frequency identification based detection of filling levels for automated monitoring of fluid intake

Dehydration among elderly people is both a widespread and health threatening problem which requires continuous monitoring of beverage intake. In this contribution a concept for a system for automatic detection of filling levels based on radio frequency identification (RFID) is presented. It consists of passive sensor cups including a resistive sensor system and an RFID transponder as well as an RFID reader with an interface for analyzing gathered data on a PC. This concept is evaluated using a prototype in respect to range and accuracy of single and connected measurements. It is demonstrated that RFID based monitoring of drinking behavior is possible and achieves results comparable to the state of the art independently of beverages.