An Internet of Plastic, Wireless Things?

 Now here is something quite different.  Thinking packaging applications. Others? 

Here Comes the Internet of Plastic Things, No Batteries or Electronics Required

IEEE Spectrum, Dexter Johnson,  October 8, 2020

Researchers at the University of Washington (UW) have developed a technique for three-dimensionally (3D) printing plastic objects that communicate with Wi-Fi devices without batteries or electronics. The method applies Wi-Fi backscatter technology to 3D geometry to create easy-to-print wireless devices using commodity 3D printers. The researchers built non-electronic analogues for each electronic component using plastic filaments, then integrated them into a single computational design. Explained UW’s Shyam Gollakota, “We are using mechanism actuation to transmit information wirelessly from these plastic objects.” The team has released its computer-aided design (CAD) models to 3D-printing hobbyists so that they can create their own Internet of Things objects.   ... "