RFID Tags Used to Covertly Collect Vital Signs

A new study claims that microchip radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags could be used to gather blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration data. Researchers at Cornell University (Cornell; Ithaca, NY, USA) have developed small RFID tags that emit radio waves that bounce off the body and internal organs, and are then detected by an electronic reader that gathers the mechanical motion data from a location elsewhere in the room, using near-field coherent sensing (NCS). The RFID tags are powered by electromagnetic energy supplied by the central reader; since each tag has a unique ID code, up to 200 people can be monitored simultaneously using just one central reader.