Abstract—This study focuses on designing an enhanced wearable antenna for medical and 5G applications, addressing the dual challenges of high-performance operation and Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) reduction to ensure user safety. To achieve this, the proposed antenna incorporates a compact 3 × 3 cross-slot Metamaterial (MTM) structure and a fabric-metal barrier. The antenna, with dimensions of 55 × 34 × 1 mm, features a copper square-slot patch and partial ground on a felt substrate. Furthermore, its performance was evaluated through simulations and laboratory measurements, considering free-space and human-body models, using a Vector Network Analyzer and liquid phantoms to mimic human tissues. As a result, the proposed design operates at 2.4 GHz with a wide bandwidth of 91.6% and a gain of 8.3 dBi. SAR values were significantly reduced from 0.25 W/kg for 1 g and 0.112 W/kg for 10 g to 0.0122 W/kg and 0.035 W/kg, respectively, on head liquid phantoms. Moreover, the fabric-metal barrier further enhanced SAR reduction, achieving values close to zero. Measurement results aligned closely with simulations, confirming the antenna’s reliability and safety for wearable use. In conclusion, the integration of a 3 × 3 MTM structure and fabric-metal barrier not only enhances antenna performance but also ensures user safety through significant SAR reduction, demonstrating the potential for widespread adoption in medical and 5G wearable applications and offering a robust and practical solution for real-world challenges.

Keywords—felt substrate, reflection coefficient, specific absorption rate, medical application, wearable antennas


Cite: Sameer Alani, Sarmad Nozad Mahmood, Ahmed Kamal Ibrahim, Fatimah Fawzi Hashim, Othman Ibrahim Hammadi, Swash Sami Mohammed, and Ahmed Nidham Qasim, “Enhanced Wearable Antenna Design for Medical and 5G Applications with Fabric-Metal Barrier for SAR Reduction," Journal of Communications, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 596-606, 2025.


Copyright © 2025 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).