Potential Space Applications for Body-Centric Wireless and E-Textile Antennas

Space environment benefits of body-centric wireless communications are numerous, particularly in the context of long duration Lunar and Martian outposts that are in planning stages at several space agencies around the world. Since crew time for such missions is a scarce commodity, seamless integration of body-centric wireless from various sources is paramount. Sources include traditional data, such as audio, video, tracking, and biotelemetry. Newer data sources include positioning, orientation, and status of handheld tools and devices, as well as management and status of on-body inventories. In addition to offering lighter weight and flexibility, performance benefits of e-textile antennas are anticipated due to advantageous use of the body s surface area. In creating e-textile antennas and RF devices, researchers are faced with the challenge of transferring conventional and novel designs to textiles. Lack of impedance control, limited conductivity, and the inability to automatically create intricate designs are examples of limitations frequently attributed to e-textiles. Reliable interfaces between e-textiles and conventional hardware also represent significant challenges. Addressing these limitations is critical to the continued development and acceptance of fabric-based circuits for body-centric wireless applications. Here we present several examples of e-textile antennas and RF devices, created using a NASA-developed process, that overcome several of these limitations. The design and performance of an equiangular spiral, miniaturized spiral-loaded slot antenna, and a hybrid coupler are considered, with the e-textile devices showing comparable performance to like designs using conventional materials.