RFID reader multidirectional system.

The use of radio frequency identification technology (RFID) has grown significantly in recent years. Since some chips have now memory capability, it is possible to read and write them, easing the tracing of different parts/components. In addition, and in opposition to standard technology for identification, e.g. barcode, a RFID reader can detect multiple chips simultaneously.Our team is recently exploring the potential of passive RFID tags to be used for package tracing. However, since these chips use energy from electromagnetic waves for communication and to power themselves, the communication range is very low, which could be an obstacle for some applications.In this article, we present a proof-of-concept of a motorized system to increase the read volume of the traditional RFID readers. The system resembles a robot with a tool specifically designed to support the reader. It will have four degrees of freedom controlled by different servomotors that will allow the reader to move to different zones. The new concept was compared with the traditional static RFID reader. While the static reader showed a reduced detection volume, 8400mm ³ , our approach proved, in our preliminary study, to guarantee an higher detection volume, 2.89×10 ⁷ mm ³ , corroborating its potential to read RFID tags inserted into standard packages.Overall, the preliminary results show that our system has the potential to increase the detection range of RFID tags and to facilitate future package tracking systems.