Patent ID: 8641645

Claim:
A method for determining a pose of a subject, said method comprising: placing transponders on the subject disposed on a surface of a platform, wherein a totality of the transponders consist of a first radio-frequency transponder and a second radio-frequency transponder placed onto an upper extremity and a lower extremity, respectively, of the subject, and wherein a first radio-frequency transceiver is located at a first location on the surface and a second radio-frequency transceiver is located at a second location on the surface; transmitting a first radio-frequency signal from the first radio-frequency transceiver to the first radio-frequency transponder on the upper extremity of the subject, resulting in the first radio-frequency transponder sending a second radio-frequency signal to the first radio-frequency transceiver; receiving, by the first radio-frequency transceiver, the second radio-frequency signal; receiving, by the second radio-frequency transceiver, a fourth radio-frequency signal transmitted by the second radio-frequency transponder in response to the second radio-frequency transponder having previously received a third radio-frequency signal from the second radio-frequency transceiver; and determining the pose of the subject based on said receiving the second radio-frequency signal and said receiving the fourth radio-frequency signal, and storing data in the first radio-frequency transponder, wherein the second radio-frequency signal sent by the first radio-frequency transponder to the first radio-frequency transceiver comprises the stored data, wherein the first radio-frequency transponder comprises a computer microchip in which an algorithm is programmed, and wherein the method further comprises executing the algorithm, and wherein said executing the algorithm comprises: analyzing the first radio-frequency signal received by the first radio-frequency transponder from the first radio-frequency transceiver to determine that the second radio-frequency signal is to comprise the stored data; and responsive to said analyzing, inserting the stored data into the second radio-frequency signal.