Design and performance of a flexible and conformai PDMS Dipole antenna for WBAN applications

The design, fabrication, and performance analysis of a 2.45GHz dipole antenna embedded in a PDMS substrate is presented. This design is particularly intended for wearable wireless body area network applications where safe, conformal, and flexible antennas are desirable. The performance of the PDMS antenna was measured and compared to that of a standard copper wire dipole antenna fabricated from copper wire through on-body testing and simulation. Both antennas demonstrated comparable free space performances. The PDMS dipole was tested in flexed conditions and a minimal shift in resonance frequency was observed. To demonstrate the antenna's suitability for on-body communication, two identical antennas were used to measure the on-body coupling effect. The PDMS dipole antenna was shown to have a superior on body coupling compared to the equivalent rigid copper wire dipole.