Next-Generation Wearable Antennas for WBANs: A Comprehensive Survey
Keywords:
5G/6G, Flexible electronics, SAR reduction, Textile antennas, WBAN, Wearable antennasAbstract
Wearable antennas have emerged as a critical enabler of Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs), offering seamless connectivity for applications in healthcare, sports, defense, and consumer electronics. Unlike conventional rigid antennas, wearable antennas must be lightweight, flexible, low-profile, and easily integrated into textiles or other soft substrates. These stringent requirements introduce unique design challenges, such as detuning effects due to proximity with the human body, performance degradation under bending and stretching, and compliance with Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) limits to ensure user safety. This study provides a comprehensive review of recent advances in wearable antenna research, covering fundamental design principles, major challenges, and performance optimization techniques. Special attention is given to emerging innovations, including metamaterials, Electromagnetic Band-Gap (EBG) structures, Artificial Magnetic Conductors (AMCs), and reconfigurable architectures. Furthermore, advanced fabrication methods, such as embroidery, inkjet printing, and 3D printing, are examined for their role in enabling the production of practical, scalable, and cost-effective antennas. Finally, future research directions are discussed, with emphasis on promising developments such as energy-harvesting antennas, AI-assisted antenna design, and integration into next-generation communication paradigms, including 6G networks and Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS).
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