Potential of RPCs in cosmic ray experiments for the next decade

The ARGO-YBJ experiment, the largest full coverage detector devoted to astroparticle physics in the TeV energy range, was uninterruptedly operated until 2012. As a precursor of gaseous detectors in the field of cosmic rays, it demonstrated the benefits of using them to cope with the challenges of extensive air shower physics. Thanks to such a new approach, it was possible to observe cosmic rays in the energy range 500 GeV-5 PeV and to provide the most sensitive survey of the northern sky in the TeV photon region. The experience of ARGO-YBJ naturally brings to investigate new strategies in the use of RPCs, e.g. calorimetry and muon tracking. This paper overviews current efforts in this direction, by quoting the first results obtained from the simulation of a tracking calorimeter made of RPCs.