RFID-Based Book Finder [Education Corner]

Locating items rapidly and accurately has become a crucial part of our modern society and industry. Accurate locating not only saves time and money but also reduces waste, as products do not get lost along supply chains. One promising indoor tracking method is provided by radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. The main benefit of RFID technology is the ability to inventory items simultaneously and rapidly without the requirement of line of sight to the target. Because RFID tags are attached to various objects and are used in different environments, RFID engineers are required to design RFID tags that operate reliably within varying environments and medium materials. In this article, an RFID system is introduced to locate library books at the Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering. In the suggested approach, the books placed outside the main library are equipped with an ultrahigh frequency (UHF) RFID tag and can be located using a hand-held RFID reader device (Figure 1). In addition to locating the books, the system keeps the book inventory up to date.