On-body antennas and propagation: Recent development

Abstract

The paper reviews recent advances in on-body antennas and propagation under a joint UK EPSRC research project between Queen Mary College, University of London and University of Birmingham. The study of on-body radio propagation has been extended by using various small antennas. The effect of antenna size, gain and radiation patterns on on-body channel characteristics has been studied. A practical wearable sensor antenna design is presented and it is demonstrated that a global simulation including sensor environment and human body is needed for accurate antenna characterisation. A 3D animation design software, POSER 6 has been used together with XFDTD to predict the on-body path loss variation due to changes in human postures and human motion. Finally, a preliminary study on the feasibility of a diversity scheme in an on-body environment has been carried out. Copyright © 2008 The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers.