Performance Analysis of Skin Contact Wearable Textile Antenna in Human Sweat Environment

Abstract

This work evaluates the performance of a triple-frequency operating circularly polarized wearable jute textile antenna in a human body sweat environment. The propounded antenna is designed to operate on the human body. So, contact with human skin allows the antenna to absorb the eccrine gland-rich mineral secretion (sweat) in regular use. The absorbed fluid alters the fabric substrate’s dielectric properties, ultimately leading to changes in the antenna performance. For that purpose, the antenna’s jute fabric is examined in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and optical electron microscope to observe its water absorption characteristics in the wet state. An artificial sweat solution that closely mimics natural human sweat was taken in all the experimental conditions (The Pickering Laboratories’-Artificial Eccrine Perspiration). The present work addresses the antenna’s performance regarding operating frequencies, axial ratios, efficiency, and gains in three different sweat absorbency environments, i.e., exposure to light spray, partial exposure, and complete absorbency conditions. The antenna’s lifetime in the sweat environment was also inspected in an electrochemical workstation. The antenna’s conformal analysis shows that it retains its optimal performance both in normal and bending conditions. The results from all these analyses confirm the robust functionality of the textile antenna in human sweat conditions.

Keywords

• Jute antenna
• dielectric property
• scanning electron microscope
• optical-electronic microscope
• artificial sweat solution
• wearable antenna