04-05-2013, 02:41 PM
Final Year Project Report Using RFID to Remember
RFID to Remember.pdf (Size: 498.14 KB / Downloads: 36)
An Introduction to RFID Technology
In recent years RFID has become increasingly recognised for its many potential mainstream
applications and uses. There are many types of RFID available each suited to different types
of these in applications. From the highest level RFID can be divided into two classes, active
and passive [1]. The system I am implementing is based on passive RFID, whereby the RFID
tags do not require their own power source but are instead activated by the reader using
magnetic induction. Active RFID would require each individual tag to have its own built in
power supply which would prove impractical in the context of this project. Using the passive
technique the reader can power the tags and allow them to transmit a signal corresponding
to its unique binary ID [1].
Chatchayanuson’s Kitchen Tracker
Chatchayanuson et al.’s Kitchen Tracker system systems goal is to aid everyday tasks, specifically
grocery shopping [3]. The system consists of stationary RFID readers in a kitchen and
tags placed on key grocery items within it. As items are removed from the kitchen, i.e., used
or thrown away, the RFID readers are used to identify these items. This data is used to
assist in grocery shopping indicating key items that are needed in the kitchen through realtime
synchronisation with a phone or PDA. These implementations are based on smart home
concepts [3]. One important point raised by this implementation is that such technologies
should be unobtrusive and blend naturally into our environment.
Ubiquitous Memories
Kawamura et al.s Ubiquitous Memories is an innovative system designed to augment human
memory through interaction with objects [4]. From a hardware perspective the system consists
of a head mounted display over the left eye for displaying video to the user. This eye
piece also incorporates a camera to record users activities and experiences. There is an RFID
reader on one wrist to read tagged objects. These are both connected to a remote control for
the system which connects to a hip mounted wearable computer connected to wireless LAN.
The system records the users experiences and activities and passes them to a server to be
stored in a video database. Objects related to specific events are RFID tagged. When a tag
is read the system replays a video related to that object, mimicking the behaviour of human
memory. When people touch objects they often recall associated memories [4]. Ubiquitous
Memories was tested using memory and recall techniques using different memory aids, one of
which being the Ubiquitous Memories system. This essentially determines the effectiveness
of the system in aiding human memory and also offers insight into alternate ways of achieving
this. This knowledge could be potentially used to refine or augment the system in the
future. Like the kitchen tracker it is important to point out that such a system needs to be
unobtrusive and feel natural in our environment.
Intel Project
In building useful applications with RFID technology a technique is required in order to allow
the computer to correctly interpret its inputs. How can a task be identified from a set of
RFID readings? In the Intel Seattle iGlove research project the concept of recognising and
interpreting an individuals activities was explored. Their system prototype was again an
RFID enabled glove with the antenna located in the palm. This is connected to a reader
with radio capabilities for communicating with a computer. The glove components are all
housed in a plastic box on the outer side of the glove, which overall makes the system compact
and unobtrusive. One difficulty their system faced was interpreting ‘variety, for example the
same task could be completed in different ways or in a different order of steps. The proposed
solution was to represent tasks in a sequence, or probable sequence, of the objects used, which
resulted in a high level of system accuracy and performance [2].
Conclusions
Much of this previous work in RFID applications offers some guidance for my own work. One
important point raised by many research papers is that such systems need to be unobtrusive,
feel natural to a user, and blend naturally into our environment. Ubiquitous memories and
Chatchayanuson et al.’s kitchen tracker are good examples of this. There are often many
problems in wearable computing systems, as discussed by Schmidt and Gellerson, such as
problems with performance. While this is true, it is suggested RFID offers a sound base
for implementing practical applications of these technologies and overcoming such associated
problems [7]. Lustig and Coyle found their RFID system to be very restrictive [?]. This
project will explore an alternative form factor in order to overcome these disadvantages.
This project will use the same proven hardware and technologies as Lustig and Coyle’s earlier
work, but with a different implementation and application of them.