Performance of Wearable Antenna Exposed to Adverse Environmental Conditions

A wearable microstrip patch antenna with textile substrate and reduced ground plane is designed and manufactured. The developed antenna prototype is used to investigate the influence of the human body on antenna properties. The performance of the proposed prototype in free space is compared with its performances in the presence of human body and different number of clothing layers. The influence of bending, moisture, and freezing on antenna parameters is examined. Off-body wireless link is studied with the antenna placed on the body of a human volunteer in movement. Guidelines for optimal location of the antenna on the body are proposed.