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TechRadar
TechRadar
Wayne Williams

'Battery-free, quiet, and inherently private' — These 3D-printed metal tags could change home and office tracking, turning penny-sized discs into smart devices using ultrasonic tech for maintenance-free monitoring without charging

Smart home tags.
  • Battery-free metal tags generate ultrasonic signals when objects move nearby
  • Different disk shapes create unique sound signatures that identify tracked actions
  • Simulation tools produced hundreds of tag designs for varied real-world tracking uses

Researchers at Georgia Tech have built tiny metal tags that record everyday actions without needing batteries, charging cables, or wired power - instead relying on simple motion and sound rather than electronics inside each tag.

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