Tracking Health Behaviors Using Radio-Frequency IDentification Technology

Se-Kyoung YoumThe Dept. of Kinesiology and Community Health

4 / 2 / 2009

Contents

1) Introduction RFID - What is the Radio Frequency Identification

- Barcode vs. RFID

- RFID Tags and Readers

- Application of RFID in many kinds of industries

2) Practical application of RFID in Kinesiology - Aerobic capacity test

- Scoring Subjectivity Challenges

- Modeling for RFID based auto scoring system

- Application examples

3) Conclusion and Future study

What is RFID?

• Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) is an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or Readers

1. Reader with Antenna

3. Application (to Computer Host / server)

2. RFID Tag

RF

Radio

Memory

Computer

Power

Radio

Memory

Computer

Power

History of RFID Development

RFID technology was used initially for military purposes

It was used for commercial purposes, mainly for Electronic Item Surveillance (EIS) tracking and tracing.

Its applications were expanded to admission control, toll charging, livestock management, and parts management.

Research and development of the track and trace of products had been extremely active due to the actual demand of global logistics/distribution companies and new technologies and standards of track and trace which had been established.

Medical and healthcare industries started to adopt and apply RFID technology and related applications, which is known as “ubiquitous health”

World War II

1960s

1970s-1990s

Around the end of the 1990s

Recently

Barcode vs. RFID

Barcode RFID Tag

Recognition

method Recognized only on touch Recognized in proximity

The number of

recognized tags Only one at a time many at a time

Recognition range 50cm 27m (passive tag)

Recognition speed Exceeding 1 second Under 0.1 second

Data writing unable able

Storable a mount

of DataUnder 100 byte Under 64 Kbyte

permeability impermeable Permeable (except metal)

Tag and Reader

type appearance

Credit-card tag

Tire-tag in tire

patch

Tire-tag reel-to-

reel format

8m UHF tag

Metal Tag

Label Tag

“Depending on the products and environment, the right type of tag and Reader should be selected.”

type appearance

Fixed Reader

PCMCIA Card

Reader

Handheld/Palm

Reader

Barcode-Printer/

RFID writer

Gate

Application of RFID in SCM

David C. Twist, The impact of radio frequency identification on supply chain facilities, Journal of Facilities Management, vol.3, no.3. pp.226-239

“There are many kinds of products.The majority of inventory theft is done by employees.”

Application of RFID at Home

•Assist their memory•Healthcare mirror - diagnose a skin status

•Disease sensing•Monitor an activity and movement

Applications in hospital

• The ubiquitous technology replaces the current complex and inconvenient body signal detector.

• This technology can detect patient’s condition and give a warning

HospitalHospital

Bio-signal sensor module

To what field can we apply RFID next?

Aerobic capacity test

• Aerobic capacity is one of the most important areas of any fitness program (Blair et al., 1992; Cureton, 1994; Cureton et al., 1995; Cureton & Warren, 1990)

• PACER and 6-min walk (one mile walk or run) test are widely used field tests in assessing aerobic capacity.

• AEROBIC CAPACITY1) PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run) –

Set to music, a paced, 20-meter shuttle run increasing in intensity as time progresses

2) One-Mile Run – Students run (or walk if needed) one mile as fast as they can

3) Walk Test – Students walk one mile as fast as they can (for ages 13 or above since the test has only been validated for this

age group)

Scoring Subjectivity Challenges

• Wasted much time and labors– One tester/observer is needed for each

student tested.

– Human errors will likely be high in scoring recording

– Misestimate aerobic capacity of examinees.

– Attention demands on the testers are very high.

Fortunately, these limitations can be eliminated by employing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.

<Individual score sheet>

RFID based auto scoring system architecture

WirelessRF Reader

Wireless method,transmit and receive the data

through RF Channel Recognize the tags

Control middleware, software,Hardware and interface

Read/Write tag information

Information System Display

Bracelet or sticker Tag

RFID based auto scoring system for PACER

•It is possible to use passive tags•Reader can be connected with 2-4 antennas•The antenna’s reading distance is 2-3m

Reader

Antenna

Person attached passive tag

RFID based auto scoring system for Walk/Run test

•It is possible to test using only one reader and one antenna (at least one)•Many people can be tested at the same time. •In addition, even if they started at a different point (Under the RFID Reader) on the track, RFID system can track them.

Reader

Antenna

Person attached tag

1 mile track

Application for Fitnessgram

Fitnessgram

Registration PACER Walk/Run

Age

Gender

weight

StellaName

height

Issuance of Tag

After a new tag is attached to Reader, press this button

Open

Fitnessgram

PACERRegistration Walk/Run

Eight students are standing at the start line

When you press “start” button, the PACER system will be started.

start

continue

Fitnessgram

PACERRegistration Walk/Run

Stella Marco Gary Jane Mary Hong Kim Zhu

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

……

continue

Fitnessgram

PACERRegistration Walk/Run

The number of Successes (A)

Total time (B) distance VO2max

Stella 22 178.76 12345 11.11

Marco 40 320.2 2345 22.22

Gary 6 54

Jane 65 485

Mary 24 202.34

Hong 72 528.04

Kim 5 45

Zhu 87 616.36

Save

continue

Fitnessgram

Walk / RunPACERRegistration

Reader Stella Marco Gary Jane Mary Hong Kim

A(start) 0 0 0 0

B 20:12 19:03 17:27 25:34

A 41:12 38:34 36:14 ..

B 65:05 60:27 58:17 ..

A 87:78 80:05 77:48 ..

B .. 102:14 99:87 ..

Total time 425:23 334:34 254:12 … … …

VO2max 11.11 22.22 33.333 … …

continue

Save

=

<Kiosk>

+

RFID Reader

RFID Tag Printer

Sever and screen

Printer

Run/walk test system in the “Park or Gym”

• RFID can be applied in– Many automatic estimating a person's energy expenditure when

he/she is doing exercise in a Gym or Park

Tracking patients during their rehab exercises

• RTLS system– Mobile unit or tag sends a radio message that is received by three or more

location receivers

– Using Active tag

– Each receiver records the time of arrival

Track and Trace a ball in the court

• Automatic recording system

45%

35%

50%

25%

45%

10%

Conclusion and Future Study

• Conclusion– RFID can be applied in many different fields.– It can be used in kinesiology but with no previous application. – As an interdisciplinary study, the synergy resulting from

combining engineering field and kinesiology field could take the related industry to a new level.

• Future study– After Developing the system, we will apply to a variety of sites.– After collection of tested data, we will evaluate the results.– To access the result easily, we will connect this system to web

site.

Questions?syoum@illinois.edu