Development of ultra wideband electromagnetic phantoms for antennas and propagation studies

Ultra wideband (UWB) technologies are expected to be used in ultra-high-speed wireless personal area networks (WPAN) and wireless body area networks (WBAN). UWB human electromagnetic phantoms are useful for performance evaluation of antennas mounted in the vicinity of a human body and channel assessment when a human body blocks a propagation path. No UWB phantom, however, has been realized so far. The UWB phantoms are not intended to evaluate specific absorption rate (SAR) in a human body, because UWB devices are supposed to transmit very low power and thus no human hazard is expected. This present paper describes the development of liquid UWB phantom material and UWB arm and torso phantoms.