Coupling between antenna and human body — Design issues

Two scenarios in UHF and ISM frequency band are analyzed to explain the electromagnetic environment from the viewpoint of the antenna placed in the vicinity of human body. In the first case the antenna with the slot in the ground plane was analyzed to quantify the influence of the human body onto antenna impedance. In the second scenario the wave propagation around human torso is modelled by considering elementary electric and magnetic sources over an infinite muscle-equivalent cylinder. The angular (creeping) wave propagation coefficients are calculated which predict the general trend in propagation around human body, while the preferable field configuration for communication is suggested. The developed models may serve as an engineering guideline in design of on-body wearable antennas and to ensure the electromagnetic compatibility of various human body sensors.