RFID: From Supply Chains to Sensor Nets A programmable wireless identification and sensing device is powered through energy harvesting and a software-defined RFID reader provides the means to investigate optimization approaches for RFID systems.

The next generation internet will be the internet of things (and not just of computing devices like PCs, PDAs); this is presumed to be enabled by integrating simple computing plus communications capabilities into common objects of everyday use. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is a compelling technology for creation of such pervasive sensor networks due to its potential for ubiquitous, low-cost/low- maintenance use. However, the current drivers for RFID deployment emphasize supply chain management using pas- sive tags, implying that RFID sensor nets require advances beyond the components and system designs aimed at supply chain applications. This work provides a glimpse of how this may be achieved.