What is a primary functional limitation of Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tags in smart packaging compared to passive sensors?
RFID tags often require external readers or dedicated power sources to retrieve their data.
While Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tags serve a vital role in supply chain logistics by tracking location and sometimes transmitting basic environmental metrics like temperature, they possess inherent limitations when compared to modern, passive, label-like smart sensors. The crucial distinction lies in accessibility and infrastructure. RFID requires external electronic readers to actively interrogate the tag and pull the stored information, and these tags frequently need dedicated power sources to operate. In contrast, the advancement sought in practical smart packaging is the creation of passive, label-like sensors that provide an immediate, unambiguous visual output—like a color change—democratizing the data without necessitating complex IT infrastructure or specialized reading equipment for every single product unit handled by consumers or low-level logistics staff.
