A Robust, Compact and Efficient AMC-Enabled Dual-Band Antenna for Wearable Healthcare

Abstract

This paper details an antenna design with a minuscule lateral footprint of [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]mm3. The antenna operates for the two bands of WiMAX 3.5[Formula: see text]GHz (for wireless communication standard) and industrial, scientific and medical radio (ISM) 5.8[Formula: see text]GHz (for healthcare applications). Optimization and computer-aided performance analysis of the proposed design are carried out using Computer Simulation Technology (CST) Microwave Studio. Required electromagnetic performance in close proximity to the human body is achieved by backing the primary CPW-fed antenna with a fabric-based dual-band AMC surface. Several prototypes of the formulated design are characterized experimentally to validate the computationally obtained performance parameters. The proposed AMC-integrated dual-band design readily meets directional radiation characteristics desired for off-body communication with 7.53-dB and 8.58-dB gains in the lower and upper resonance frequencies, respectively. Moreover, the antenna’s top layer consists of a semi-flexible laminate, while textile constitutes the bottom layer to maximize user comfort. Further analysis reveals a significant reduction in SAR by 16.7[Formula: see text]W/kg at the lower band and by 13.5[Formula: see text]W/kg at the upper band. The precedence of the reported structure demonstrated in the results endorses its application in robust wearable devices.