Development in ambient backscatter communications

Abstract Backscatter communication (BackCom), the underlying technology for modern‐day Radio Frequency Identification, has been studied as a promising solution for future ultra‐low power Internet‐of‐Things (IoT) applications. Its development has pushed the performance boundaries significantly, in terms of communication distance, data transmission rate, and power consumption. An up‐to‐date review of one branch of BackCom systems, namely Ambient BackCom, which utilises the already available ambient signals, instead of a dedicated radio frequency carrier in most of the BackCom works, to establish BackCom links is conducted. This further reduces the cost and complexity of the system and opens an opportunity for mass deployment.