Japanese patterns as NFC antennas for interactive urushi-ware

Abstract

Urushi (Japanese lacquer) is a natural resin paint with electrical insulating capability. We focused on Japanese patterns on an urushi-ware that is a product coated urushi. To make urushi-wares interactive without losing elegance and beauty, we transformed Japanese patterns into nearfield communication (NFC) antenna patterns.We developed three types of prototype antennas and confirmed their functionality. In addition, we developed an IC key tag and an interactive lunch box as example applications of interactive urushi-wares.