Identiv’s R&D Approach Turns IoT Labels into Manufacturable Systems

A smart label may look like a simple adhesive tag. In advanced RFID, BLE and IoT applications, however, it becomes a wireless system. An original Identiv blog post about Deputy R&D Manager Jelson Mateus shows how early R&D prepares such systems before customer requirements emerge.

Research Before Demand

For Mateus, engineering often starts before there is a product brief. At Identiv, he explores technologies that may only become relevant years later, including antenna simulations, chip architectures and concepts for ultra-thin IoT labels.

This research creates a foundation for future customer challenges.

From RFID Label to IoT System

Identiv develops IoT labels that combine RFID and Bluetooth Low Energy in flexible, adhesive formats. They can be attached to objects ranging from shipping containers to pharmaceutical packaging.

Traditional RFID labels often consist of a chip and an antenna. More use cases, however, require additional data from tagged products, assets or environments.

Label designs are therefore evolving into embedded systems with components, circuits and sensors inside thin materials. The antenna, chip, substrate and adhesive layers all influence performance.

Connectivity in a Thin Form Factor

RFID enables identification and data exchange without direct line-of-sight contact. BLE can support active wireless communication when additional data transmission is required.

Combining these technologies in a compact label increases functionality, but also complexity. Materials, component placement and surfaces can affect antenna behavior.

Designed for Production

Mateus’s principle is that products must be developed for production from the beginning. Component placement, label thickness, material selection and circuit layout must align with high-speed converting and assembly machines.

If production constraints are ignored early, a prototype may function technically but fail as a scalable product.

Earlier Research as a Practical Solution

The value of future-oriented R&D becomes visible when earlier work solves a new customer requirement. One example is a BLE-enabled label powered by an alternate rigid battery.

Mateus had already investigated RFID labels for constrained environments and could identify a technical path. By reconfiguring the antenna and circuit, he incorporated the label’s surroundings into the system and improved signal performance.

The design was adapted for Identiv’s converting machines and moved from simulation to prototypes, machine-built samples and production runs.

Relevance for Integrators and Users

For system integrators, advanced smart labels are no longer only passive identification components. They are application-specific wireless systems designed around the object, use case and production process.

For solution providers, label selection should not be reduced to frequency, memory size or read range. Mechanical properties, antenna performance, sensor integration and manufacturability can determine whether a solution works at scale.

For end users, Identiv’s approach addresses the gap between pilot projects and real deployments. A prototype is not enough. The label must also be robust and manufacturable.

Contact

For more background on Identiv’s research-driven approach to advanced RFID, BLE and IoT labels, read the original blog post about Jelson Mateus and his work on future-ready smart label systems: https://identiv.com/blog/jelson-mateus-the-engineer-who-designs-the-future-before-its-needed/