Verifiable Smart Packaging with Passive RFID

Abstract

Smart packaging adds sensing abilities to traditional packages. This paper investigates the possibility of using RF signals to test the internal status of packages and detect abnormal internal changes. Towards this goal, we design and implement a nondestructive package testing and verification system using commodity passive RFID systems, called Echoscope. Echoscope extracts unique features from the backscatter signals penetrating the internal space of a package and compares them with the previously collected features during the check-in phase. The use of backscatter signals guarantees that there is no difference in RF sources and the features reflecting the internal status will not be affected. Compared to other nondestructive testing methods such as X-ray and ultrasound, Echoscope is much cheaper and provides ubiquitous usage. Our experiments in practical environments show that Echoscope can achieve very high accuracy and is very sensitive to various types abnormal changes.