Through-Metal Wireless Communications with Magnetic Induction

Through-Metal (TM) wireless communication is a key technology to connect sensors and robots in metallic-constrained environments, such as pipelines and gas containers. Due to the high conductivity of the metal, electromagnetic signals experience strong attenuation which significantly reduces the received signal strength. In this paper, we develop a theoretical channel model for TM communications at low-frequency bands to predict the wireless communication performances. We provide insightful analysis by simplifying the developed model. In addition, a testbed based on the software defined radio is designed. Both the numerical and empirical results validate the feasibility of TM wireless communications using magnetic induction. The results suggest that with a centimeter-size coil and 1 kHz carrier frequency, 100 bps communication data rate can be achieved.