Multi-Channel Radiofrequency Finger Augmentation Device for Tactile Internet

The Tactile Internet (TI) aims to enhance human-to-machine interactions by transmitting the human senses through the internet. Promising candidates to enable TI applications in the short term are the Radiofrequency Finger Augmentation Devices (R-FADs), hand-worn epidermal RFID (Radiofrequency Identification) systems. R-FADs were employed to recover the thermal feeling and discriminate dielectric materials. Preliminary experiments only considered single-channel R-FADs, whereas multichannel systems with multiple tags could more reliably sense and communicate with the reader. In this work, a multi-tag R-FAD is for the first time manufactured and tested. The five tags' combined response, named digital fingerprint, allows for more reliable discrimination of the tested materials.