Development of textile antennas for body wearable applications and investigations on their performance under bent conditions

Utilization of wearable textile materials for the development of microstrip antenna segment has been rapid due to the recent miniaturization of wireless devices. A wearable antenna is meant to be a part of the clothing used for communication purposes, which includes tracking and navigation, mobile computing and public safety. This paper describes design and development of four rectangular patch antennas employing different varieties of cotton and polyester clothing for on-body wireless communications in the 2.45 GHz WLAN band. The impedance and radiation characteristics are determined experimentally when the antennas are kept in flat position. The performance deterioration of a wearable antenna is analyzed under bent conditions too to check compatibility with wearable applications. Results demonstrate the suitability of these patch antennas for on-body wireless communications.