The impact of contextual factors on the performance of human breath monitoring using flexible UHF RFID temperature sensing yarn and its underlying mechanisms

Abstract

The respiratory system serves as a crucial indicator of personal physical well-being, and the integration of UHF RFID temperature sensing yarn into facemasks has been identified as an effective wireless tool for timely monitoring of human respiration. However, it remains unclear which factors may impede the performance of respiratory monitoring by UHF RFID temperature sensing yarn in various contexts. This study investigates the impact of contextual factors (bending, humidity, and human body) on the functionality of the sensing yarn integrated into facemasks for respiratory monitoring purposes. The findings reveal that these factors influence antenna impedance, resonant frequency, and radiation capacity of the sensing yarn to some extent, leading to a slight deterioration in its performance. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that these factors have minimal effect on respiratory monitoring and provide preliminary evidence supporting its precise capability in tracking human respiration.