Stretchable Antenna for Wearable Health Monitoring

With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a stretchable antenna that can be incorporated into wearable technologies, such as health monitoring devices. To create an appropriately resilient antenna, the researchers used a stencil to apply silver nanowires in a specific pattern and then poured a liquid polymer over the nanowires. When the polymer sets, it forms an elastic composite material that has the nanowires embedded in the desired pattern. This patterned material forms the radiating element of a microstrip patch antenna. By manipulating the shape and dimensions of the radiating element, the researchers can control the frequency at which the antenna sends and receives signals. The radiating layer is then bonded to a ground layer, which is made of the same composite, except it has a continuous layer of silver nanowires embedded. Since the frequency changes almost linearly with the strain, the antenna can be used a wireless strain sensor as well.

Transcript

00:00:00 Stretchable antenna for wearable health monitoring NSF-funded researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a stretchable antenna for wearable technologies, such as health monitoring devices. The resilient antenna is made of an elastic composite material composed of nanowires that can be stretched, rolled, or twisted and always return to their original state. The team discovered the antenna, while stretched, will continue to communicate effectively with remote equipment. Researchers feel this relatively simple technique can be integrated directly into sensors themselves and easy to scale up.