Dual-Band Folded-Shorted Patch Antenna for Military Search and Rescue Operations and Emergency Communications

There has been a gradual increase in wearable-based applications such as Nike plus, Google glass, Fitbit and smart watches to name a few. In this paper, a dual-band compact folded-shorted patch (FSP) antenna is developed and is operational at 400 MHz and 2.4 GHz for UHF satellite communications and WBAN/WLAN technologies, respectively. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is used as a flexible substrate for the FSP antenna making it suitable for wearable applications. Moreover, the compactness and durability of this antenna make it appropriate for military search and rescue operations and emergency communications, and the presence of the PDMS substrate makes it resilient to harsh environmental conditions while also providing flexibility for the user.