Project Details

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From RFID Tags to Digital Twins: Mapping Movement in Real Time

Company: Digital Twin Literacy Center - Cocoziello Institute - Penn State University

Major(s):
Primary: CMPEN
Secondary: EE
Optional: CMPSC

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

How can a building know where people and objects are in real time without relying on cameras, smartphones, or identifiable information? In this project, students will build a low-cost, privacy-conscious indoor tracking system using passive UHF RFID technology. Using RFID wristbands or tags, antennas, readers, a microcontroller, and local Wi-Fi/MQTT, the team will detect movement between zones and explore how antenna placement, signal strength, and algorithms affect tracking accuracy. The project will connect to a live digital twin of a space in Pattee Library called the Digital Twin Literacy Center, enabling RFID data to drive visualizations, web applications, and immersive experiences. Students will gain hands-on experience with RFID, IoT, embedded computing, networking, Python, data analytics, and digital twins while solving a real-world sensing challenge. No prior experience with RFID or digital twins is required. This proof of concept could ultimately scale to larger spaces and buildings across Penn State.