Radar & additive manufacturing technologies: The future of Internet of Things (IoT)

The authors make a case for a soon-to-be preponderance of radar technologies for communications with devices of the IoT. First, the tag architectures enabling these communications are presented. Novel 24 GHz and mm-wave flexible low-cost chip-less RFID and backscatter/reflectarray-based node approaches demonstrating a record measured range of 80 m, with a potential maximum range in excess of 1 km, zero to low μW power consumption, and Gbps communications rates are presented. In a second part, recent advances in additive-manufacturing technologies—enabling large cost reductions for the next gen­eration of integrated radar ICs—are reported. Specifically, the combination of 3D and inkjet printing enables the development of fully 3D compact low-cost integrated modules along with high­performance interconnects. These innovations, simultaneously empowering and empowered by radar technologies, present a compelling avenue for the emergence of dense constellations of flexible smart skin nodes for ubiquitous sensing, identification, and localization.