RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology has brought substantial industrial and commercial improvements by enabling wireless, contactless identification and data storage. It is commonly used in logistics and supply chain management, healthcare for equipment and medication tracking, access control, product authentication, and document security. Its key advantages include the ability to read data without direct line of sight and to store information directly on the tag. However, the cost of conventional RFID systems remains a major barrier to broader adoption, particularly in applications involving low cost or disposable items, such as paper documents, mass-market consumer goods, or low-value packaging. The need for integrated chips and antennas increases the complexity and cost of production, making these solutions impractical in many contexts where unit cost must be minimized.
In this context, researchers from CIMITEC, part of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), have developed a chipless RFID tag based on near-field electromagnetic coupling and sequential reading. It eliminates the need for integrated circuits (ASICs), replacing them with specific patterns printed with conductive inks on conventional paper. The system uses inclusions that encode information through their presence or absence in predefined positions. The tags can be programmed and erased using cutting and short-circuiting techniques, offering unique operational flexibility. The tags require very close proximity and a fully aligned orientation with the reader to function properly.
It has undergone new studies demonstrating improved performance. Lab tests with tags up to 100 bits showed reliable reading regardless of orientation using header sequences, and experiments with adapted printers confirmed its potential for industrial-scale applications. The technology is patent-protected.
Benefits:
- Cost reduction of up to 90% compared to chip-based RFID systems enabling the technology for those applications in which conventional RFID tags are too expensive.
- High information density: 7.5 bits/cm².
- Programmable and erasable by cutting and short-circuiting resonators.
- Invisible patterns with conductive inks that make copying and counterfeiting difficult
The represented institution is looking for a collaboration that leads to commercial exploitation of the presented invention.
Institution: CIMITEC, a technology center at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
TRL: 4
Protection Status: Patented
Contacto: Ana Carlota de la Cruz Abad / a.cruz@viromii.com