Abstract
Wearable microstrip patch antennas are compact, low-profile antennas designed for integration into wearable devices, offering wireless communication capabilities. Wireless body area networks (WBANs) are a promising technology with potential applications in a variety of biomedical fields. Patient surveillance, healthcare monitoring, and medical diagnostics are a few examples. The Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) in close proximity to the body, as well as the device’s size, vulnerability to the environment, and limited bandwidth, all have an impact on its efficacy and dependability. This paper gives a thorough look at the planning, testing, and production of a wearable antenna that works at 2.4 GHz and has unique U-cut and double L-cut slots inside a patch antenna structure. The primary focus is on reducing specific absorption rate (SAR) exposure while maintaining optimal performance metrics. We rigorously analyze parameters such as SAR reduction, VSWR, return loss, radiation pattern, gain, and efficiency using the High Frequency Structural Simulator (HFSS). This SAR-aware wearable antenna design, which includes parameter analysis, addresses concerns about people being too close to electromagnetic radiation from wireless devices. We tested the fabricated antennas using a VNA testing instrument. Following the testing process, we conducted a comparison between the simulation and fabrication results. Upon comparison, we found that the antenna’s software simulation and hardware testing results were identical. They both operated at 2.4 GHz and achieved a gain of 20 dB. This indicates a successful design and validation process for the fabricated antenna.
Keywords: Body Area Networks, HFSS, Specific Absorption Rate, Wearable Antennas.