Compact multiband cuff button antenna for WBAN application

Abstract A compact dual layer conformal wearable quad band antenna is proposed for wireless body area network applications. The proposed button like patch antenna resonates at 2.5 GHz (industrial, scientific, and medical bands)/3.6 GHz sub six 5G band/5.75 GHz (wireless local area network/ISM band)/ and 9.8 GHz (X band) frequencies. The circular textile antenna is constructed with jean and polydimethylsiloxane substrate having a slotted ground of radius 10 mm and thickness 1.5 mm. The simulated gains obtained at the operating bands are 1.85/2.03/1.49/3.27 dBi, respectively. The designed antenna’s directed radiation pattern assures reduced backward radiation to body tissue. The specific absorption rate (SAR) analysis for the antenna at multiple resonant frequencies has also been reported, which are well below the SAR threshold of 1.6 W/kg for 1 gm of tissue, indicating that the model works adequately for wearable applications. The experimental characterization on- and off-body of the fabricated antenna validates the simulated results.