RFID SmartTag

This thesis presents a method to improve the accuracy of detecting movement and use of medical instruments in the trauma bay by integrating sensing capability into the pre-existing passive RFID tags. Adding the sensing capability to the passive RFID tags gives it the capability to be aware of motion and users touch. The semi-passive sensor equipped Gen2 tag is comprised of an ultra-low-power microcontroller, capacitive touch sensor, 3-axis accelerometer and a Gen2 I2C-RFID chip. All the components are being operated at a very strict power constraint that has an expected lifetime of close to 1 year when equipped with a small 225-mAh coin battery. This sensor enabled RFID tag is used in the trauma bay to track motion and activity by sensing different environmental and physiological data. This thesis is comprised of the complete design documentation and explanation of the algorithms used in development of the RFID SmartTag. The accuracy and power consumption of the various sensors used and of the final version of the RFID SmartTag were tested and the results were documented.M.S.Includes bibliographical referencesby Vidur Nayya