Twins: Device-free object tracking using passive tags

Abstract

Device-free based object tracking provides a promising solution for many localization and tracking systems to monitor non-cooperative objects which do not carry any transceiver such as intruders. However, existing device-free solutions mainly use sensors and active RFID tags, which are much more expensive compared to passive tags. In this paper, we propose a novel motion detection and tracking method using passive RFID tags, named Twins. The method leverages a phenomenon called critical state caused by interference among passive tags. We theoretically explain this phenomenon via an interference model and conduct extensive experiment to validate it. We design a practical Twins based intrusion detection system and implement a real prototype with commercial off-the-shelf reader and tags. Experimental results show that Twins is effective in detecting the moving object, with low location errors of 0.75m in average.