Antennas for Wearable and Implantable Applications

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Microwave and Wireless Communications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 31328

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
Interests: nano communication; biomedical applications of millimeter and terahertz communication; wearable and flexible sensors; compact antenna design; RF design and radio propagation; antenna interaction with human body; implants; body centric wireless communication issues; wireless body sensor networks; non-invasive health care solutions; physical layer security for wearable/implant communication and multiple-input–multiple-output systems
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Guest Editor
School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
Interests: basics of antennae and electromagnetism, from megastructures and metasurfaces to novel applications in telerobotics, cognitive radio, wearable electronics, nanoscale networks, healthcare, and bioengineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
ElectroScience Laboratory, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Interests: bioelectromagnetics; wearable sensors; implantable sensors; antennas for body area applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
Interests: compact antenna design; radiowave propagation and channel characterization; satellite navigation system antennas in cluttered environments; electromagnetic wave interaction with the human body; body-centric wireless networks and sensors; remote healthcare technology; mmWave and nanocommunications for body-centric networks and D2D/H2H communications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
Interests: 5G and Beyond networks
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Wireless communication has experienced immense growth in the past few years with the advent of IoT and is becoming an integral part of our daily life. This has resulted in wearable technology standing at the brink of a massive diversification with an explosion in popularity and applicability and an estimated market value of around $32 billion. Moreover, implantable devices are considered as one of the key enablers of smart health systems. Antennas are an integral part of these devices and play an important role in devising their performance. The ever-increasing demand for miniaturization along with mobility, power, data rate, bandwidth, and insensitivity to the human user makes antenna design very challenging for wearable and implantable applications. It requires innovative ideas and novel solutions for the antenna design. This Special Issue invites researchers to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that seek to address the issues of design and application of wearable and implantable antennas.

Dr. Qammer Hussain Abbasi
Dr. Akram Alomainy
Dr. Asimina Kiourti
Dr. Masood Ur Rehman
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ali Imran
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Body-worn antennas
  • Wearable sensors
  • Implantable electronics
  • Flexible antennas
  • THz antennas
  • Millimetre-wave antennas
  • Smart healthcare
  • Internet of wearable things
  • Metamaterials
  • Smart wearable/implantable antennas
  • Textile antennas

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 9774 KiB  
Article
2 × 2 Textile Rectenna Array with Electromagnetically Coupled Microstrip Patch Antennas in the 2.4 GHz WiFi Band
by Juan-Manuel Lopez-Garde, Ruben Del-Rio-Ruiz, Jon Legarda and Hendrik Rogier
Electronics 2021, 10(12), 1447; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10121447 - 17 Jun 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2863
Abstract
The development of e-textiles is fostering research in wireless energy transmission. This paper presents a purely textile 2.4 GHz WiFi band 2 × 2 rectenna array for RF energy harvesting. It utilizes the electromagnetically coupled microstrip patch antenna topology and a simple and [...] Read more.
The development of e-textiles is fostering research in wireless energy transmission. This paper presents a purely textile 2.4 GHz WiFi band 2 × 2 rectenna array for RF energy harvesting. It utilizes the electromagnetically coupled microstrip patch antenna topology and a simple and precise construction method that provides a good performance repeatability to create multilayer microstrip textile patch antennas. The rectifier is implemented with Schottky diodes and it takes the voltage doubling configuration. An average DC power of 1,1 mW was measured for 14 μW/cm2 of RF input power density, while the end-to-end average power conversion efficiency (PCE) measured was 31%. The characterization of the end-to-end PCE was evaluated considering the physical size of the prototype to make the comparison with other designs easier. Measurements in a real WiFi scenario were also performed, demonstrating its feasibility for feeding e-textiles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antennas for Wearable and Implantable Applications)
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10 pages, 16692 KiB  
Article
Compact Quad-Element High-Isolation Wideband MIMO Antenna for mm-Wave Applications
by Daniyal Ali Sehrai, Muhammad Asif, Nosherwan Shoaib, Muhammad Ibrar, Saeedullah Jan, Mohammad Alibakhshikenari, Ali Lalbakhsh and Ernesto Limiti
Electronics 2021, 10(11), 1300; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10111300 - 29 May 2021
Cited by 61 | Viewed by 3618
Abstract
This paper presents a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna system for millimeter-wave 5G wireless communication services. The proposed MIMO configuration is composed of four antenna elements, where each antenna possesses an HP-shaped configuration that features simple configuration and excellent performance. The proposed MIMO design [...] Read more.
This paper presents a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna system for millimeter-wave 5G wireless communication services. The proposed MIMO configuration is composed of four antenna elements, where each antenna possesses an HP-shaped configuration that features simple configuration and excellent performance. The proposed MIMO design can operate at a very wideband of 36.83–40.0 GHz (measured). Furthermore, the proposed MIMO antenna attains a peak gain of 6.5 dB with a maximum element-isolation of −45 dB. Apart from this, the MIMO performance metrics such as envelope correlation coefficient (ECC), diversity gain, and channel capacity (CCL) are analyzed, which demonstrate good characteristics across the operating band. The proposed antenna radiates efficiently with a radiation efficiency of above 80% at the desired frequency band which makes it a potential contender for the upcoming communication applications. The proposed design simulations were performed in the computer simulation technology (CST) software, and measured results reveal good agreement with the simulated one. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antennas for Wearable and Implantable Applications)
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15 pages, 4822 KiB  
Article
Transmission Analysis in Human Body Communication for Head-Mounted Wearable Devices
by Dairoku Muramatsu and Ken Sasaki
Electronics 2021, 10(10), 1213; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10101213 - 19 May 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 6489
Abstract
As society ages, wireless body area networks (WBANs) are expected to increasingly improve the quality of life of the elderly and disabled. One promising WBAN technology is human body communication (HBC), which utilizes part of the human body as a transmission medium. Communication [...] Read more.
As society ages, wireless body area networks (WBANs) are expected to increasingly improve the quality of life of the elderly and disabled. One promising WBAN technology is human body communication (HBC), which utilizes part of the human body as a transmission medium. Communication between head-mounted wearable devices, such as hearing aids, is a potential HBC application. To clarify the HBC transmission mechanism between head-mounted wearable devices, this study analyzes the input impedance characteristics of the transceiver electrodes, transmission characteristics, and electric field distributions around and through a detailed head model. The investigation was performed via an electromagnetic field simulation. The signal frequency had less effect on the transmission characteristics and electric field distributions at 10, 20, and 30 MHz. However, the transmission mechanism between the head-mounted wearable devices was influenced by the number of electrodes in the transceiver. Moreover, the transmission characteristics between two-electrode transceivers were improved by impedance matching. Finally, the availability of the proposed system was evaluated from power consumption and human safety perspectives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antennas for Wearable and Implantable Applications)
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8 pages, 3129 KiB  
Article
Electric Field Sensing with a Modified SRR for Wireless Telecommunications Dosimetry
by Fabian Vazquez, Alejandro Villareal, Alfredo Rodriguez, Rodrigo Martin, Sergio Solis-Najera and Oscar Rene Marrufo Melendez
Electronics 2021, 10(3), 295; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10030295 - 26 Jan 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3042
Abstract
Split ring resonators (SRRs) have been used extensively in metamaterials, showing a strong localization and enhancement of fields, which significantly improves the sensitivity and resolution of the electromagnetic field sensors. We propose the development of an electric field sensor for 2.4 GHz industrial, [...] Read more.
Split ring resonators (SRRs) have been used extensively in metamaterials, showing a strong localization and enhancement of fields, which significantly improves the sensitivity and resolution of the electromagnetic field sensors. We propose the development of an electric field sensor for 2.4 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band applications, by modifying the renowned SRR to contain three concentric pairs of rings. The reduced size makes the sensor affordable for experiments by inserting it in phantoms in order to measure the specific absorption rate (SAR). Power was transmitted from a patch antenna to SRR, with a varying set of distances 1λ, 2λ, 3λ, or 5λ. Experimental measurements of power were conducted with and without a cylindrical distilled-water phantom with agar (4.54%) and NaCl (0.95%). We then computed the electric and magnetic fields and the SAR using these experimental readings of power for different distances. Our sensor was able to measure power values from 20 nW to 0.3 µW with no phantom, and 1 nW to 10 nW with a phantom, in accordance with the values reported for radiofrequency (RF) dosimetry. The sensitivity as a function of the distance determined for the specific case of a phantom was 0.3 µW/cm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antennas for Wearable and Implantable Applications)
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13 pages, 3048 KiB  
Article
Hybrid Development of a Compact Antenna Based on a Novel Skin-Matched Ceramic Composite for Body Fat Measurement
by Siamak Sarjoghian, Ardavan Rahimian, Yasir Alfadhl, Theo G. Saunders, Jiamin Liu and Clive G. Parini
Electronics 2020, 9(12), 2139; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9122139 - 14 Dec 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2642
Abstract
This work presents the thorough hybrid (numerical and experimental) development of a miniaturized microwave antenna, to be better matched to the permittivity of the human skin. This would allow the abdominal fat to be measured more accurately, based on the employed reflection methods [...] Read more.
This work presents the thorough hybrid (numerical and experimental) development of a miniaturized microwave antenna, to be better matched to the permittivity of the human skin. This would allow the abdominal fat to be measured more accurately, based on the employed reflection methods with minimal mismatches. This objective was achieved by designing the pyramidal horn antenna that was modeled based on the proposed and manufactured ceramic composite material. Moreover, by using the developed composite of barium titanate and titanium oxide, the ratio of the two could be precisely adjusted, so that the permittivity was a reasonable match to that of the skin. This step was validated by the open-ended probe method. This framework can be instrumental in a range of microwave biomedical applications, which aim to realize the body-centric systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antennas for Wearable and Implantable Applications)
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14 pages, 1191 KiB  
Article
Flexible and Scalable Software Defined Radio Based Testbed for Large Scale Body Movement
by Aboajeila Milad Ashleibta, Adnan Zahid, Syed Aziz Shah, Qammer H. Abbasi and Muhammad Ali Imran
Electronics 2020, 9(9), 1354; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9091354 - 20 Aug 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4008
Abstract
Human activity (HA) sensing is becoming one of the key component in future healthcare system. The prevailing detection techniques for IHA uses ambient sensors, cameras and wearable devices that primarily require strenuous deployment overheads and raise privacy concerns as well. This paper proposes [...] Read more.
Human activity (HA) sensing is becoming one of the key component in future healthcare system. The prevailing detection techniques for IHA uses ambient sensors, cameras and wearable devices that primarily require strenuous deployment overheads and raise privacy concerns as well. This paper proposes a novel, non-invasive, easily-deployable, flexible and scalable test-bed for identifying large-scale body movements based on Software Defined Radios (SDRs). Two Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) models, working as SDR based transceivers, are used to extract the Channel State Information (CSI) from continuous stream of multiple frequency subcarriers. The variances of amplitude information obtained from CSI data stream are used to infer daily life activities. Different machine learning algorithms namely K-Nearest Neighbour, Decision Tree, Discriminant Analysis and Naïve Bayes are used to evaluate the overall performance of the test-bed. The training, validation and testing processes are performed by considering the time-domain statistical features obtained from CSI data. The K-nearest neighbour outperformed all aforementioned classifiers, providing an accuracy of 89.73%. This preliminary non-invasive work will open a new direction for design of scalable framework for future healthcare systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antennas for Wearable and Implantable Applications)
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10 pages, 429 KiB  
Article
Non Invasive Skin Hydration Level Detection Using Machine Learning
by Sidrah Liaqat, Kia Dashtipour, Kamran Arshad and Naeem Ramzan
Electronics 2020, 9(7), 1086; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9071086 - 3 Jul 2020
Cited by 33 | Viewed by 6662
Abstract
Dehydration and overhydration can help to improve medical implications on health. Therefore, it is vital to track the hydration level (HL) specifically in children, the elderly and patients with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes. Most of the current approaches to estimate the [...] Read more.
Dehydration and overhydration can help to improve medical implications on health. Therefore, it is vital to track the hydration level (HL) specifically in children, the elderly and patients with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes. Most of the current approaches to estimate the hydration level are not sufficient and require more in-depth research. Therefore, in this paper, we used the non-invasive wearable sensor for collecting the skin conductance data and employed different machine learning algorithms based on feature engineering to predict the hydration level of the human body in different body postures. The comparative experimental results demonstrated that the random forest with an accuracy of 91.3% achieved better performance as compared to other machine learning algorithms to predict the hydration state of human body. This study paves a way for further investigation in non-invasive proactive skin hydration detection which can help in the diagnosis of serious health conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antennas for Wearable and Implantable Applications)
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