Proximity detection with RFID in the Internet of Things

The RFID technology has opened a new world of possibilities for development of novel devices that can identify objects, monitor the status of objects, and take actions. These devices make further inroads towards the concept known as the Internet of Things. Recently, we have introduced a novel device called Sense-a-Tag (ST), which when added to standard RFID systems increases their capabilities. In this paper, we explore the potential of an ST-based RFID system for proximity detection. We first survey potential solutions for proximity detection and point out to their problems. Then we discuss several applications of ST-based RFID systems. Finally, we experimentally characterize the proximity detection performance of these systems.