Wearable Beam Steering Antenna for Body-Centric Communication

A low profile reconfigurable wearable antenna operating in ISM band (5.725-5.875 GHz) is presented for body area network. Two PIN diodes are used as RF switches for achieving beam steering in -17°, -12°, +21° and +29° directions in azimuth plane. The peak directive gain was 8.76 dBi for different configurations when the beam was steered through a steerable range. The EVA foam substrate is used to provide flexibility and mechanical stability in the structure. The specific absorption rate (SAR) value of 0.97 W/Kg for 1 g of human tissue is satisfying the SAR criteria.