An on-body conformai printed array antenna at mmWave frequencies for healthcare applications

On-body printed antenna is a rapidly growing research area targeted for healthcare, biomedical, public safety and military applications. Printed antennas in both microwave (MW) and millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency bands have been found useful for Wireless Body Area Networks (WBAN) and medical devices. While miniaturization, conformability and good near-field patterns have prime importance in the antenna design, the interaction of RF signals with human body and the effective signal penetration need to be assessed carefully during the design phase. An on-body 2×2 printed antenna array is under development at mmWave frequencies on a flexible material. The single patch antenna design and results are presented in this paper. The return loss data due to the close proximity of skin is also discussed. The results from the array showing specific absorption rate (SAR) and power density (PD) profile on an experimental phantom using a high-resolution infrared camera will be presented at the symposium.