Compact Wearable Broadband Antenna for Head Microwave Sensing and Imaging

Microwave sensing and imaging technologies are gaining interest and reliability in diagnosing and monitoring pathologies in which there is a change in the dielectric properties of tissues, such as stroke, Alzheimer’s, and brain tumors in the head. For this reason, there is a need for broadband sensors/antennas working in microwave frequencies to make non-invasive devices able to detect and monitor these pathologies. In this work, we present a flexible and compact antenna optimized for microwave head imaging and sensing, operating in a frequency range of 1.3 GHz−4.7 GHz. It consists of a printed z-shaped monopole with a frontal block of flexible material with custom permittivity and conductivity that improves field penetration into the tissues and reduces the mismatch between the head and the surrounding media.