Scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have created ‘smart’ paper with sensing capabilities that can respond to gesture commands and connect to the digital world.

The method relies on small radio frequency (RFID) tags that are stuck on, printed or drawn onto the paper to create interactive, lightweight interfaces that can do anything from controlling music using a paper baton, to live polling in a classroom.

The technology — PaperID — leverages inexpensive, off-the-shelf RFID tags, which function without batteries but can be detected through a reader device placed in the same room as the tags.

Using the technology, connecting real-world items such as a paper airplane or a classroom survey form to an Internet of Things environment may be possible, researchers said.

“These little tags, by applying our signal processing and machine learning algorithms, can be turned into a multi-gesture sensor,” said lead author Hanchuan Li, a doctoral student at University of Washington.

Each tag has a unique identification, so a reader’s antenna can pick out an individual among many.

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