What is the core power difference between Cardullo's active transponder and Walton's passive tag?

Answer

Active tags require an internal battery, while passive tags harvest energy from the reader.

The fundamental difference between the two key early designs lies in their power mechanics. Cardullo's 1973 active transponder design necessitated an internal battery to provide the power required for the tag to actively broadcast its identification signal when prompted. Conversely, Charles Walton's 1983 passive RFID tag invention eliminated this battery requirement entirely. The passive tag relies on a principle called energy harvesting; it captures the electromagnetic energy transmitted by the reader's radio waves. This meager energy burst is then used solely to power the microchip long enough to modulate and send a signal back to the reader. This power source difference dictates the economic viability and application scale of each technology.

What is the core power difference between Cardullo's active transponder and Walton's passive tag?
inventiontechnologysupply chainlogisticsRFID