Wearable antennas using electronic textiles for RF communications and medical monitoring

We present a new class of wearable antennas based on automated embroidery of metal-coated polymer threads (E-threads), with resolution down to 0.1mm. The developed prototypes are flexible, mechanically robust, lightweight, and exhibit similar performance to their copper counterparts. Remarkably, the shape precision can be as high as 0.1mm, viz. similar to the state-of-the-art printed circuit boards (PCBs). Colorful wearable antennas may also be realized for unobtrusive integration into logos or other aesthetic shapes. Further, the textile surfaces can be integrated with polymer-ceramic composites to realize flexible substrates and/or stretchable prototypes. Overall, this technology brings forward new possibilities for RF communications and medical monitoring applications, among others.