Exposure Modelling and Minimization for Multi-antenna Communication Systems

On the one hand, the number of wireless personal devices (WPDs) owned by individuals has soared in the last five years. On the other hand, WPDs exposed their users to electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation that has been linked with possible adverse physiological effects. In this paper, we first provide a generic analytical framework for modelling the exposure generated by WPDs having two transmit antennas. Our model is based on reliable exposure data for different types of human dielectric properties; its accuracy is showcased via simulations. We then integrate this model in an optimization framework for minimizing the exposure, while meeting spectral efficiency (SE) requirements, by means of beamforming. Results show the existence of a trade-off between the specific absorption rate (SAR) and SE, such that our exposure minimization beamforming approach can reduce the exposure by at least 27% by trading-off only 1% of the SE when compared to the optimal SE-based beamforming approach. In addition, they also indicate that increasing the number of antennas at the receiver side can help to further reduce the exposure generated by WPDs.