Fabric-Based Radiating Element with Dual-Purpose Functionality, Multi-Frequency, and Reconfigurable Programmable Metamaterial Layer for Body-Worn Network Applications

The demand for wireless connected wearable communication modules is rapidly increasing day by day as per the current and future needs in Wireless Body Area Networks (WBAN). Wearable antennas are playing a key role in body-centric communication applications with on-body and implantable placement as per the applications are concerned. A comprehensive view of wearable antennas, Materials and fabrication techniques, and research challenges with clear insight on the principle and applications of metamaterials in the antenna design is detailed in this chapter. Based on the research challenges and gaps in the literature, the objectives are made and executed with a novel design for the wearable antenna using a compact, flexible, and reconfigurable bifunctional Metasurface.