Events

Date: 26 August 2026   Time: 14:00 - 15:00     

Location: David Sizer LT + Online

Online Seminar Link

Synopsis

Wireless connectivity plays a major part in our daily lives. Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), mostly operating through Wi-Fi technology, is one of the major technologies to provide this connectivity. 5G is another technology that promises a significant increase in data transmission speed. The goal of this talk is to highlight some of the aspects of the wearable antennas designed for applications in Wi-Fi and 5G, emphasizing their significance in enabling continuous, reliable connectivity for various wearable devices utilized in diverse applications and industries.

With the focus on wearable wireless devices, it is desired to have a direct connection to networks such as Wi-Fi or 5G networks. Therefore, there is a need for wearable antennas in the WiFi or 5G bands (especially the sub 6 GHz band) that can seamlessly be integrated into clothing. Such antennas should be small. However, the small antennas usually have omnidirectional patterns, and their input impedance may be affected significantly by the lossy human tissue in their vicinity. On the other hand, the radiation toward the body can cause a high Specific Absorption Rate (SAR), requiring a reduction in the input power to comply with the standard SAR levels.

In addition, wearable antennas must be lightweight and flexible. There are multiple options for flexible materials that may be considered. Other conditions specific to wearable antennas are being low-profile, compact, and efficient. Some of the factors that need careful consideration are the performance of the antennas under bending, crumpling, and stretching. The other factors are the cost, availability, washability, and endurance under extreme and harsh conditions. Some of the wearable antennas may be integrated as parts of the clothing, such as buttons or zippers, while others may be integrated into the surface area of the clothes.

This talk is an exploration of wearable antennas for 5G and Wi-Fi, highlighting their pivotal role in enabling ubiquitous and reliable wireless connectivity.

Biography

Sima Noghanian is currently a Distinguished Hardware Engineer at CommScope Ruckus Networks. She was a consultant with Neuspera Medical Inc and StrokeDx. Dr. Noghanian received a Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba in 2001 and a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, which she held at the University of Waterloo. From 2002 to 2018, she served as an Electrical Engineering faculty member at the Sharif University of Technology, Iran (2002), the University of Manitoba, Canada (2003–2008), and the University of North Dakota, USA (2008–2018). She also served as the Chair of the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of North Dakota (2014–2016). She was an Electromagnetic Application Engineer with PADT Inc. (2019–2020) and a Principal Antenna Design Engineer at Wafer LLC (2020–2021).

Dr. Noghanian is a senior member of IEEE, a fellow of the Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society (ACES), and a senior member of URSI Commissions B and K. Dr. Noghanian currently serves as the Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, IEEE Open Journal of Antennas and Propagation, IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine, IET Microwave, Antennas and Propagation, Frontiers in Antennas and Propagation, and as an area editor for the Elsevier International Journal of Electronics and Communications. She was a member of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S) Administration Committee (2023–2025), Chair of the Technical Committee on Antenna Measurement (TCAM, 2024–2025). She is currently a member of the Technical Committee Health and Medicine, the Vice Chair of the AP-S Constitution and Bylaws Committee, Chair of USNC-URSI Commission K, a member of the IEEE AP-S Standards Committee, and Vice President of ACES, and AP-S Distinguished Lecturer (2024-2026).