Comparison of Wearable E-Textile Split Ring Resonator and Slotted Patch RFID Reader Antennas Embedded in Work Gloves

We present a glove-integrated slotted patch and split ring resonator (SRR) antennas for a wearable UHF RFID reader operating at 866 MHz. The prototype antennas are made of adhesive electro-textile on low-permittivity foam material. To characterize the antennas, we tested them wirelessly in communication with a common dipole type RFID tag to estimate its reflection coefficient, realized gain, maximum power transmission according to specific absorption rate (SAR) limitations, and maximum read range. We also analyze the effects of variable separation between the human hand and the antenna to confirm stable operation required by the application. The results showed that both-slotted patch and SRR-antennas are feasible for the work glove applications providing the read range up to 300 cm and 180 cm respectively.