A Survey on Radio Frequency Identification as a Scalable Technology to Face Pandemics

TL;DR

This survey explores how RFID technology, integrated with IoT, edge computing, and AI, can enhance pandemic management through PPE tracking, access control, and early symptom detection, based on current research and technology.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of RFID applications in pandemic response, highlighting potential for scalable, integrated solutions in future outbreaks.

Findings

RFID can effectively support PPE management and tracking.

RFID-based systems can enable social distancing and access control.

Integration with AI and edge computing enhances data analysis and anomaly detection.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed our way of living. To minimize life losses, multi-level strategies requiring collective efforts were adopted while waiting for the vaccines' rollout. The management of such complex processes has taken benefit from the rising framework of the Internet of Things (IoT), and particularly the Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) since it is probably the most suitable approach to both the micro (user) and the macro (processes) scale. Hence, a single infrastructure can support both the logistic and monitoring issues related to the war against a pandemic. Based on the COVID-19 experience, this paper is a survey on how state-of-the-art RFID systems can be employed in facing future pandemic outbreaks. The three pillars of the contrast of the pandemic are addressed: 1) use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), 2) access control and social distancing, and 3) early detection of symptoms. For each class, the envisaged RFID devices and procedures are discussed based on the available technology and the current worldwide research. This survey that RFID could generate an extraordinary amount of data so that complementary paradigms of Edge Computing and Artificial intelligence can be tightly integrated to extract profiles and identify anomalous events in compliance with privacy and security.