Insole Antenna for On-Body Telemetry

A 433-MHz antenna is proposed for integration with the insole of footwear for a body-area network. The folded dipole design with an asymmetric groundplane radiates from its edges and considers the close proximity of the human foot and ground surfaces. It functions for different ground conductivity conditions and an on-body communication link with an inverted-F antenna in the upper body area was evaluated on a static and dynamic human subject. The antenna solution was compliant with specific absorption rate (SAR) requirements, remains matched and links with upper body nodes regardless of the body posture and node location.