Bicep mounted low profile wearable antenna based on a non-uniform EBG ground plane - flexible EBG inverted-l (FEBGIL) antenna

Abstract

This novel paper presents a low profile antenna based on the properties of a non-uniform electromagnetic bandgap (NU-EBG), i.e. a non-uniform high impedance surface (NU-HIS). The structure, referred to as Flexible EBG Inverted-L (FEBGIL) antenna, is an efficient wearable antenna incorporating a planar inverted-L element adjacent to some non-uniformly spaced high impedance elements. While the bandwidth is approximately 10% at 1.85 GHz, the overall electrical size is quite small providing an ideal condition for the antenna to be worn on biceps (upper arms). This design is able to minimize electromagnetic interaction with the body on which it is worn and therefore can reduce Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) and degradation in radiation efficiency.