Sophisticated ‘Blanket’ Of Radio-Frequency Antennas

This promises lighter, more portable communication systems for remote or emergency use, opening the door to flexible, wearable tech with powerful RF capabilities.

A team of researchers from Columbia Engineering has developed innovation in radio-frequency (RF) communications by embedding antennas directly into textiles, using a flat-knitting process. This innovative approach could make communication systems lighter, more portable, and easier to deploy, especially in remote locations or emergency situations.

The researchers harnessed metasurfaces—ultra-thin materials that control light and electromagnetic waves—to create flexible, lightweight RF antennas. Their work addresses the challenges of traditional RF antennas, which are often heavy, rigid, and expensive to manufacture.

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To produce these new antennas, the team turned to knitting. While traditional textile-based antennas have used methods like screen printing or embroidery to add conductive materials to fabrics, these techniques have faced issues such as delamination and limited scalability. In contrast, Yu’s team used a knitting technique called float-jacquard knitting, traditionally used in patterned garments like Fair Isle sweaters. This method involves weaving two or more types of yarns to form a pattern, allowing for the direct integration of antennas during fabric manufacturing.

The team demonstrated the practicality of this technique by creating two prototype RF devices—a metasurface lens and a vortex-beam-generating antenna. Both were produced using commercial knitting machinery, using metallic and dielectric yarns. Remarkably, each prototype was knitted in under an hour and withstood multiple washes and stretches without damage. The resulting textile antennas showed promising performance and could focus or shape RF signals for communications tasks.

Looking ahead, the team plans to explore additional knitting techniques to develop more advanced, multifunctional fabrics that combine electromagnetic and mechanical properties. This could lead to even more versatile applications, including lightweight antennas for satellite communication and other wearable tech that blends functionality with fashion.