BodyWave™ Wearable Antenna
The Only Antenna Specifically Designed for Wearables
BodyWave™ solves the root causes of poor wireless performance in wearable and body-worn applications.
Antennas placed close to the body suffer three compounding problems: poor radiation efficiency, increased detuning, and body blocking. BodyWave™ solves all three, typically delivering 6-12dB Non-Line-of Sight (NLoS) link margin improvement from Sub-GHz to Channel 9 UWB, and a route to double the range, half the power consumption of your wireless device.
Trusted by category leaders in industrial IoT, connected healthcare, sports and audio.
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What makes BodyWave™ "designed for wearables"?
Other antennas may claim to be "for wearables" but normally this refers only to the form factor. BodyWave™ is the result of over a decade of research at Queen's University, Belfast, where co-founders Dr Gareth Conway and Dr Matthew Magill set out to solve four distinct failure modes that affect every standard antenna placed close to, or on the body. And in doing so unlocking a new generation of wireless wearables by reducing the causes of dropouts, and delivering robust, reliable and repeatable wireless performance.
On-body impedance stability
BodyWave™ maintains stable resonance regardless of body proximity, tissue type, or position.
No detuning, no unpredictable frequency shift, ensuring consistent impedance from bench to deployment, across every user.
On-body radiation efficiency
Designed to radiate efficiently in the presence of tissue, not just in free space.
On-body radiation efficiency stays within 3-4dB of free-space performance, a standard no chip or printed antenna meets.
Unique BodyWave™ propagation
BodyWave™ creates an electromagnetic wave which creeps around the body, shrinking the impact of body blocking (or body shadowing), maintaining reliable NLoS links regardless of body position. The result: 360° on-body coverage and typically 6-12 dB of extra link margin.
Consistent performance across users
Body shape, size, and tissue properties vary between individuals. BodyWave™ delivers predictable performance across different users, body types, and environments, so you can have confidence that the performance of your product will hold up to real-world user experience.
See the results: BodyWave™ vs Standard Chip antenna - UWB localization accuracy
In this demonstration of the improved localization accuracy achieved with BodyWave™ antennas, Charlie, our engineer, walks away from two UWB receivers wearing two location tags on his chest, one with a BodyWave™ antenna, one with a standard chip antenna.
Same device. Same environment. Same person. The only difference is the antenna - see the results for yourself.
RF Performance Testing: The BodyWave™ Viviana Pebble vs. Traditional Whip Antenna
Filmed by our partners, Raycom, at Cambridge Science Park, the Viviana Pebble, a specialist BodyWave™ Sub-GHz antenna for the professional audio industry, is tested in a specialist RF anechoic chamber against a traditional whip antenna for body blocking, RF absorption, radiation efficiency, and non-line-of-sight coverage.
What can BodyWave™ deliver for your wearable wireless product?
6-12dB additional link budget, and an antenna that is platform agnostic, translates directly into real engineering and commercial advantages.
Double the range - half the power consumption
6–12 dB of additional link budget means you can double your NLoS range, halve your power consumption, or find the right trade-off between the two. Extend battery life, reduce the size or cost of the battery, or achieve greater wireless range, whichever your users value.
Greater hardware design freedom
A platform agnostic antenna means fewer restrictions on the placement of the antenna on the PCB, and no ground plane keep out area. Place the antenna where your form factor demands, and populate the back of your PCB, optimizing the use of the available space.
Repeatable across your user population
Deploy with confidence, knowing that the results you achieve in testing will match the experience of your users with consistent performance across body types, positions and environments.
New use cases unlocked
Unreliable NLoS connectivity has blocked wireless technology from environments where dropouts can't be tolerated - real-time sports tracking, live broadcast, professional audio, clinical. BodyWave™ makes them viable.
The BodyWave™ Antenna Range
BodyWave™ Wearable Antenna Applications
We are here to help you bring your products to market faster.
Highly regarded for our seamless integration capabilities, our proven assessment to deployment process ensures excellent user experience for both product teams and end users.
- Support with integration and layout recommendations
- Customer equipment test and measurement characterisation using in-house wireless wearable testbeds to help improve wireless performance
- Matching network, transmission line, RF circuitry, and product design services