Design and Development of a Flexible AMC-Backed Meander Line Antenna for Wearable ISM Band Biomedical Applications- A Review

Wearable biomedical devices require compact, mechanically compliant antennas that maintain reliable wireless links in the presence of lossy, high-permittivity human tissue. At the 2.4-GHz Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band, conventional planar antennas can suffer impedance detuning, reduced radiation efficiency, pattern distortion, and elevated power absorption when placed close to the body. This review examines the combination of a meander-line radiator and an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) as a practical route toward a flexible, low-profile antenna platform for wearable health-monitoring systems. Meander loading increases the effective current path within a limited footprint, while an appropriately designed AMC provides an in-phase reflection response near the operating band and can suppress backward radiation toward the wearer. The review summarizes flexible substrate and conductor options, AMC unit-cell design, antenna–AMC spacing, body-equivalent testing, bending effects, and specific absorption rate (SAR) assessment. Published examples demonstrate that AMC integration can improve realized gain and reduce tissue exposure, although reported values depend strongly on geometry, phantom properties, input power, and measurement conditions. A development workflow and a set of recommended validation metrics are proposed. The paper is a literature-based review and design framework; it does not claim original simulated or measured performance for a newly fabricated antenna.