Advances in RFID-ILA: The past, present and future of RFID-based indoor location algorithms

Indoor location technologies refer to those positioning algorithms and methods that can offer the position of a target object under the indoor environment. With the advantages of non-contact, low-cost and high-accuracy, radio frequency identification (RFID) has become a class of preferred indoor location technology. Therefore, RFID-based indoor location algorithms (RFID-ILA) are an essential component in indoor location systems. In order to achieve accurate indoor location, many RFID-based indoor location algorithms have been proposed and studied. This paper attempts to globally review the advances in RFID-based indoor location algorithms and to further discuss the future prospects of research and development in the indoor location field for many industrial and domestic applications.