At a stretch [Comms Antennas]

Since an antenna's shape dictates the frequencies it can send and receive, making one that stretches like a rubber band may seem as counter-intuitive as building an elastic violin. However, scientists think that elasticity could be one way to compensate for stretchiness in the equipment (or person) to which the antenna is attached, and could also act as a useful tuning mechanism for radios trying to find space in overcrowded wavebands. In this paper, the author discusses an elastic antenna that could make wearable electronics comfortable and make cognitive radios possible.