Localized Measurement of Breathing Movement Using RFID: Proof-of-Concept and Challenges

Measurement of breathing movement is important for the study of breathing mechanics, the diagnosis and monitoring of respiratory disorders. Conventional imaging-based methods, such as ultrasound and computed tomography, are either bulky and expensive or highly operator- and position- dependent. In this work, we propose a novel and cost-effective method for measuring local breathing movements, leveraging the well-known radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. We demonstrate the proof-of-concept by using multiple tags to track localized breathing movements in an experimental study with a medical mannequin. The results indicate that RFID technology can enable accurate breathing measurements under some conditions. However, commercial RFID devices are susceptible to multipath interference, which significantly limits measurement stability and robustness. Reliable measurements in practical settings will require custom-developed system solutions.