The Thermal Impact of Wireless Sub-Terahertz Radios on the Human Eye in Next-Generation Extended Reality Headsets

The emergence of 6G wireless networks has the potential to completely redefine the wearable devices market by pushing the limits of connectivity and user experience. Many of these wireless wearable devices often cover the eyes, increasing the exposure to electromagnetic fields on the cornea. In this article, the heat generated on the corneal tissue by the electromagnetic radiation from wireless wearable devices operating on the sub-terahertz (THz) frequency band (100 GHz – 300 GHz) is modeled on COMSOL Multiphysics^®. We observed that devices operating on the sub-THz frequency band will have a high thermal impact on the human eye. Nonetheless, by controlling the device transmission power and the allowed usage time, the temperature rise in the eye corneal tissue can be limited. Additionally, results indicate that the eyelid will not be a sufficient barrier against sub-terahertz electromagnetic radiation. These outcomes provide essential insights into electromagnetic exposure safety requirements in next-generation extended reality headsets.