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GE Global Research has developed a battery-free, multi-detection RFID sensing platform, built on traditional RFID tags, that could enable a wide range of low cost wireless sensing products.
The new sensors will find applications in healthcare, security, food packaging, water treatment and pollution prevention. This "first-of-its-kind" sensing platform, in which a single sensor can provide a highly selective response to multiple chemicals under variable conditions, operates without a battery.
GE's sensor technology overcomes limitations in today's sensors such as inadequate response selectivity and the need for an on-board power source. Without a battery, new sensors can be designed to be smaller than a penny and manufactured at very low cost. This could enable a wide range of product applications, including:
- New security sensors that more effectively can detect dangerous chemical and biological threats.
- In-the-field water purification monitoring, checking for water impurities.
- Food and beverage safety monitoring, measuring the freshness of goods in transport or that are stored in the refrigerator at home.
- Portable vaccine manufacturing, ensuring the purity of a vaccine manufactured on-site during an emergency response to a flu outbreak or other potential pandemic.
- Emissions monitoring at power plants.
According to Radislav Potyrailo, a principal scientist at GE Global Research, who leads the multidisciplinary wireless sensing development team: "Because these sensors can be made at such low cost, they also can be made for one-time use. Similar to how your groceries get scanned for a price, imagine pointing a handheld sensor reader at a milk carton or packaged food to see whether it has been spoiled. This is just one of the new applications you can begin to consider with disposable, low cost multi-detection RFID sensors."
These new RFID sensors use a conventional RFID tag, but are coated with a chemically or biologically sensitive film. The sensor reader can obtain several varied responses, which allows the sensor to identify and measure individual chemicals in different mixtures and variable conditions. GE's sensors can detect trace concentrations of toxic gases such as toxic industrial chemicals, volatile organic compounds, and chemicals in liquids.
To operate without batteries, the power is obtained wirelessly from the sensor reader. The reader activates the sensor antenna and the RFID chip and collects several response data parameters. The measurement of these parameters provides the ability to selectively detect different chemicals with an individual sensor.
Source: GE Global Research
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