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Special Sessions

Special session proposal is highly encouraged. The goal of special sessions is to highlight a specific domain related to the RFID technology or to propose a topic at the frontier of the RFID technology. To propose your own special session, see the instructions here.

Accepted Special Sessions List

Special Session 1: Top-Rated IEEE JRFID Papers

Organizer: Paolo Nepa (University of Pisa)

Authors of selected papers published in either 2024 or 2025 volumes of the IEEE Journal on Radio Frequency Identification will be invited to present the content of their IEEE JRFID paper in a Special Session organized at the upcoming 2025 IEEE international conference on Radio Frequency Identification – Technology and Applications (IEEE RFID-TA) sponsored by the IEEE Council on RFID (CRFID). This initiative will give the authors the chance to present their activity to the attendees of an international flagship conference of the CRFID, so many more colleagues and researchers will be aware of their research achievements. The authors are not required to submit a manuscript as required for regular conference papers. The presenting author will be asked to register at the conference.

The title, abstract and authors list of the paper will appear in the conference program, while the contribution will not appear in IEEE Xplore as the paper is already published in a journal.


Special Session 2: Next generations of RFID systems: unconventional waveforms, tags and receivers

Organizer: Yvan Duroc (Ampère Laboratory, Lyon, France), Julien Huillery, (Ampère Laboratory, Lyon, France).

RFID technology is based on proven, simple and effective principles, such as the use of a sinusoidal carrier, binary modulations and robust retro-modulation schemes. Thanks to this simplicity, it has established itself in a variety of sectors, from logistics to healthcare, opening up new perspectives with the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT). However, to meet the growing challenges of ever more demanding applications, it is essential to explore innovative and disruptive approaches.

This session invites researchers to think about future RFID systems by revisiting the foundations of the field: multi-sinusoidal or pulsed waveforms, broadband and millimetre-wave architectures, multi-state tags, etc. The aim is to respect two fundamental principles of passive RFID with IC-based tags, namely remote powering and backscattered modulation, while extending their possibilities through unconventional approaches that optimize the power and/or information transfers in the system. These advances will enable us to meet growing demands for performance, energy efficiency and flexibility, paving the way for next-generation RFID systems. We are therefore calling for bold, original contributions that will redefine the boundaries of this technological field.

Covered topics:

  • multi-sinusoidal and pulsed waveforms
  • wideband and millimetre-wave RFID systems
  • multi-state backscattered constellations
  • tag impedance design
  • algorithms for synchronization and decoding
  • power and information transfer trade-off
  • solutions for multi-tag scenarios
  • solutions for harsh environments

Special Session 3: Harmonic tags and systems for sensing and ID

Organizer: Graeme Woodward (University of Canterbury), Anastasia Lavrenko (University of Twente).

This session will focus on recent advances in the design, analysis and applications of harmonic radar and harmonic RFID systems and tags. In contrast to conventional RFID systems that use the same operating frequency for the interrogation and return signals, harmonic tags are designed to operate in at least two separate frequency bands: one for the interrogation signal and another for the tag response. This greatly reduces the amount of environmental clutter at the reader making them an attractive solution to enable long-range operation in challenging environments. Harmonic transponder tags can also be made completely passive which helps reduce their size and cost, and makes them particularly suitable for applications that require battery-less operation. This special session will focus on the recent developments in harmonic radar and RFID technology including design of harmonic transponders and interrogator/reader systems, performance modelling and analysis, as well as examples of harmonic RFID use in practical applications.

Special Session 4: RFID for Space and Aerospace Applications

Organizer: Dr. Madhavi Mallam, Global Academy of Technology, Bengaluru, Karnataka.

In the space and aerospace industries, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is becoming a valuable tool that offers innovative solutions for structural health monitoring, asset tracking, inventory management, and safety compliance. In the aerospace industry, RFID improves the efficiency of managing tools, equipment, and critical components throughout the manufacturing, maintenance, and operational lifecycle, reducing manual errors and improving traceability. In space applications, RFID systems can be adjusted to withstand extreme environments, allowing for real-time monitoring of cargo, crew health, and onboard equipment in spacecraft. RFID can revolutionize aircraft operations by integrating with sensor networks, IoT, and advanced communication systems., making them more secure, durable, and economical in both terrestrial and interplanetary settings.

Special Session 5: Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Innovations in RFID Technology: Challenges, Solutions, and Future Directions

Organizer: Dr Salvatore Tedesco, Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork / Dr Nadeem Rather, Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork / Dr Roy B. V. B. Simorangkir, Durham University

The presented topic is significant because it highlights the future impact of integrating AI with RFID technology. While AI has not yet made significant strides in this field, we anticipate that this will change soon. This session aims to discuss the possibilities, challenges and solutions of AI integration with RFID technology, spanning areas such as deep learning approaches for electromagnetic modeling optimization, neural network-based tag localization, intelligent interpretation of multi-tag data streams, robust feature extraction from noisy RFID signals, and AI-enhanced physical layer security mechanisms, among others. This session can thus provide valuable insights for researchers and industry professionals, fostering collaborations and knowledge exchange, and paving the way for advancements in this evolving field, ultimately transforming industries such as supply chain management, logistics, health monitoring, chipless and sustainable Identification, and sensing technologies.

Special Session 6: Multi-modal sensing with RFID for Localization, Tracking, and Motion Capture

Organizer: Emanuele Tavanti (University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy), Andrea Motroni (University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy), Shiwen Mao (Auburn University), Jian Zhang (Kennesaw State University).

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) has rapidly evolved from a simple wireless identification technology into a powerful engine for precise localization, tracking, and motion capture, providing real-time location awareness in a manifold of key areas of our society. Integrating RFID with complementary sensing modalities—such as vision, inertial, and acoustic sensors—enables reliable and scalable multi-modal localization systems.

RFID-enabled localization is expected to play a crucial role in enhancing safety, industrial process efficiency, and human-machine collaboration. This special session welcomes contributions addressing these pivotal questions by presenting groundbreaking RFID localization techniques, hybrid multi-sensor approaches, and innovative applications across domains such as robotics, motion capture, tracking, and even space exploration.
What are the capabilities of these systems? What are their current limitations and time-to-come perspectives?

By bringing together researchers and industry experts in the field, this session aims to drive the bounds of RFID-based location sensing toward new frontiers.
This session is collecting contributions that aim to face the above questions, and — but not limited to — the following suggested topics:

  • Hybrid localization methods based on multisensory data-fusion (RFID + anything)
  • Novel groundbreaking RFID localization systems
  • Unconventional hardware and software for localization with RFID and other backscattering technologies
  • Long-range backscatter communications and positioning
  • Next-generation RFID protocols and technologies for localization systems
  • Vehicle and Robot positioning, tracking, navigation and SLAM
  • Human-pose estimation, gesture recognition, pattern analysis and Motion Capture
  • Artificial intelligence for RFID localization

Special Session 7: RFID tags and wireless sensors for Structural Health Monitoring applications

Organizer: Gaël LOUBET (LAAS-CNRS, INSA, Toulouse, France)
Alexandru TAKACS (LAAS-CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France)

This session will focus on recent advances in the use of passive and active RFID tags, wirelessly powered sensors, and passive backscatter sensors, for (structural) health monitoring.,These systems can be used
to monitor the long-term health of a living being or structure, with a low cost and a low impact, while being deployable in very harsh environments and/or where there is no access to an energy source.
The design of the sensor, the specific method of request, the interrogation strategy of a network, the storage and use of the collected data, the deployment of a complete (cyber-physical) system, etc., in relation with the monitoring application, are some of the aspects which can be presented in this session.

Covered topics:

  • Active and passive tags
  • Antenna design and characterization
  • Backscattering communication in RFIDs
  • Chipless RFID technology
  • Circuit design and characterization for readers and tags
  • Energy Harvesting and Wireless Power Transfer
  • Millimeter-wave identification and sensing
  • Near Field Communications
  • Next-generation RFID applications
  • RF tomography and environmental sensing
  • RFID-based infrastructures for Internet of Things
  • RFID applications in healthcare, wearables, precision agriculture,
  • transportation, safety, security, inventory management, logistics,
  • fashion, retail
  • RFIDs in Digital Twins
  • RFID for Industry 5.0 and Smart Cities
  • RFID communication and sensing,Smart and programmable tags

Special Session 8: RFID sensors for automotive applications

Organizers: Valentina Palazzi, (University of Perugia); Fabio Gelati (Luna Geber Engineering); Badar Muneer (University of Perugia)

There is a growing interest in RFID-based sensing solutions for automotive applications, due to the ultra low power consumption of RFID transponders and the compatibility of the vehicles with short range connectivity. The adoption of wireless sensor allow us to reduce the number of cables, thereby reducing installation and maintenance costs. For exemple, in electric vehicles RFID-based sensors can provide an efficient approach for battery monitoring. Indeed, wireless sensors make it possible to improve the scalability of battery management solutions, thereby improving the reliability and safety. This session is dedicated to present the main challenges towards the development of wireless RFID-based sensors for automotive applications and to provide an overview of the current advancements in the field.

Special Session 9: Revolutionizing RFID with Tunnel Diodes: The Power of Negative Resistance

Organizer: Greg Durgin (Georgia Tech)

Tunnel diodes, with their unique negative resistance characteristics, offer unprecedented improvements in communication range and power budget of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Low-Power communication systems. This special session will explore the transformative potential of low power tunnel diodes-based tags, from passive to active systems. The session is expected to provide insights into the mechanics of tunnel diodes, their integration into RFID systems, and their role in enabling the next generation of smart, efficient, and scalable RFID applications.

Covered topics:

  • Tunnel Diodes and Negative Resistance (Basic principles of tunnel diodes, negative resistance, power consumption, related devices such as Gunn, MIM, other exotic diodes)
  • Tunnel Diodes in RFID Technology: Fundamentals and Applications (Limits of RFID technology and the need for enhancing the power link budget)
  • tunnel diode based circuit (Reflexion amplifier, 1-port Impedance synthesizers & backscattering modulators, Harmonic mixers…)
  • Low-Power, RFID Systems with Tunnel Diodes (Power-saving strategies in RFID design using tunnel diodes, Impact of tunnel diode-based circuits on battery life and energy efficiency)
  • Enhancing RFID Range and Performance with Tunnel Diodes (extending the read range of RFID systems, localisation strategies, harsh environments applications
  • Future Trends: Tunnel Diodes and the Next Generation of RFID (Integration of tunnel diodes in IoT & sensors, future directions for research and development in tunnel diode-based RFID systems, addressing the biasing requirement to meet Net-Zero power applications)

Special Session 10: Sustainability in RFID Technology and Processes

Organizers: Cecilia Occhiuzzi (Tor Vergata University of Rome), Alice Buffi (University of Pisa), Adina Bianca Barba (Radio6ense srl), Pascal Xavier (Grenoble INP), Tan-Phu Vuong (Grenoble INP).

The 3Rs, Reduce, Recycle and Reuse, are the fundamental principles of the circular economy, guiding us towards a more sustainable future. In this context, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology plays a key role thanks to its ability to identify and track both raw materials and products throughout the supply chain. These capabilities are key to enabling the creation of digital product passports, which provide essential data to extend the lifespan of products, benefiting both producers and consumers. Thus, RFID technology can facilitate the efficient use of resources, help optimize production processes and improve recycling efforts, thus promoting responsible consumption practices. However, it is equally important to address the sustainability of RFID tag production by using recyclable or biocompatible materials alternatives to standard ones, ultimately leading to the development of eco-friendly tags. Topics in this session include, but are not limited to:

  • RFID for the Circular Economy
  • RFID and Sustainability
  • Efficiency RFID Manufacturing Processes
  • Digital Product Passport
  • Eco-Friendly RFID Tags and Labels
  • Green RFID Tags
  • Alternative Materials for RFID Tag Production
  • Lifecycle Sustainability of RFID Tags

Special Session 11: From Core RFID to Interdisciplinary Innovation – Expanding the Horizons of the RFID Community

Organizers: Gaetano Marrocco (University of Roma Tor Vergata, Italy), Francesca Nanni (University of Roma Tor Vergata, Italy)

In its early days, the RFID community was a highly integrated and self-contained forum where every member had a deep understanding of the work carried out by others. This close-knit environment fostered continuous cultural exchange, collaborative ideation, and shared application strategies. However, as the exponential interest in RFID technology grew, the initially unified field diversified into numerous sub-disciplines. Researchers, originally focused on core RFID topics, progressively expanded their research into adjacent domains such as advanced materials, flexible electronics, security, wireless power transfer, medical applications, and the Internet of Things.

This Session aims to trace that evolution—demonstrating how foundational RFID ideas have catalyzed significant innovations and, in turn, contributed to the emergence of distinct research communities and dedicated conferences in various fields. By revisiting the roots of the RFID community while simultaneously pushing its boundaries, the session seeks to identify and stimulate synergies across diverse technological domains. Participants will have the opportunity to share experiences, explore new collaborative ventures, and generate innovative ideas that expand the utilization of RFID technology in both traditional and emerging applications.

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