According to a study published in Advanced Science, engineers at the University of Glasgow have developed a new sustainable electronic tagging system that aims to mitigate the environmental issues associated with single-use RFID technologies.
Image Credit: University of Glasgow
The engineers from the University of Glasgow have developed a wireless tagging system that can identify objects and measure temperature—without relying on microchips.
Instead of traditional RFID chips, the new tags use inexpensive coils and a sensing material made from PDMS, a type of silicon rubber combined with carbon fibers. The coils, which are smaller than those found in credit cards, absorb electromagnetic signals from a handheld reader, eliminating the need for built-in electronics.
With more than 10 billion RFID tags used annually—most of which end up in landfills without proper recycling—this innovation could significantly reduce electronic waste, particularly in the retail sector.
Beyond object identification, the new tags can also take real-time temperature measurements and can be read using wireless handheld devices that cost less than £100.
The tags could pave the way for future ‘smart packaging,’ capable of monitoring factors like pH and humidity. This would allow retailers to receive alerts when food is at risk of spoilage or contamination.
Their flexibility and lightweight design also make them suitable for applications in healthcare and smart clothing, where they could discreetly monitor vital signs.
The technology has been developed and tested under lab conditions, with the findings showing how the sensors can detect temperature variations between 20 °C and 110 °C. Notably, the tags perform exceptionally well in the 20 °C to 60 °C range, which is critical for food safety and medical uses.
The sensors react quickly to temperature changes, registering significant variations within seconds. Additionally, multiple tags can be read at the same time, with tests demonstrating three sensors successfully transmitting data simultaneously from different distances.
Dr. Mahmoud Wagih, a lecturer at the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering and the study’s corresponding author, emphasized the importance of wireless sensing tags in supply chain monitoring.
Developing wireless sensing tags is crucial for monitoring temperature across supply chains, particularly in food safety and medical applications. By eliminating the need for microchips, these chipless tags could significantly reduce both cost and electronic waste compared to traditional RFID sensors. While there have been various efforts in recent years to develop chipless smart devices, many require expensive specialized equipment for readout, limiting their potential in commercial applications.
Dr. Mahmoud Wagih, Study Corresponding Author and Lecturer, James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow
He also added, “Our paper shows how multiple temperature sensors can be read simultaneously using an inexpensive portable device, which could make it an attractive prospect for adoption by a wide range of industries.”
Dr. Benjamin King, study co-author from the James Watt School of Engineering, added, “The new technology we’ve developed uses materials which are cheap and widely-available, and the tags can be manufactured using a simple, scalable process. Our hope is that those unique characteristics could help the technology become widely adopted in the years to come, helping to reduce the environmental harms currently being caused by single-use RFID tags.”
The study received support from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Royal Society.
Chip-free wireless sensors could reduce environmental impact of electronic tags
Video Credit: University of Glasgow
Journal Reference:
King, B. et. al. (2025) Large-Area Conductor-Loaded PDMS Flexible Composites for Wireless and Chipless Electromagnetic Multiplexed Temperature Sensors. Advanced Science. doi.org/10.1002/advs.202412066