Printed wireless devices for low-cost, connected sensors for point-of-care applications

Abstract

Resource-limited settings require point-of-care (POC) diagnostic solutions that can be rapidly manufactured at a low cost. These solutions require efficient ways to communicate data, and are therefore ideally suited to the internet of things (IoT). We present wireless devices towards the realization of connected, automated and low-cost sensing solutions, with focus on POC disease diagnostics for South African clinics as an initial example. Specifically, ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) and near-field communication (NFC) device implementations are presented, utilizing the printability of antennas on to low-cost, flexible substrates as a foundation on which to develop low-cost, connected sensors.