UHF epidermal sensors: Technology and applications

Originally introduced by the material science community, skin-mounted electronics is nowadays the new frontier for unobtrusive body-centric monitoring systems. Current advances of the radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology can boost this emerging class of bio-integrated devices exploiting low-power (even passive) wireless communication and sensing interfaces. This contribution resumes the performance of UHF RFID epidermal antennas, their optimal size, and the upper bounds in the achievable radiation gains. Some promising application scenarios are described by realistic experimentations, concerning the remote and unobtrusive monitoring of relevant health parameters (temperature, breathing, sweat, and pH) for healthcare, wellness, and sports. Finally, the latest research on the next integration of epidermal transponders within the incoming 5G communication networks is highlighted.