Design and Analysis of a Wearable Reconfigurable Felt-Based Textile Antenna for Dual-Band Switching

In this work, a novel wearable textile antenna using a flexible felt substrate is proposed for dual-band reconfigurable operation. Unlike conventional single-band wearable antennas, the presented design employs a PIN diode-based switching mechanism to dynamically toggle between 2.4 GHz and 5.6 GHz frequency bands. The use of felt ensures mechanical flexibility, light weight, and cost-effectiveness, making the antenna suitable for integration into clothing and conformal surfaces. The antenna maintains a compact footprint while achieving a simulated gain of 2.5-3.2 dBi across the operational bands. Its performance under bending and stretching conditions is evaluated using CST Studio Suite, confirming robustness and consistent radiation characteristics. Compared to existing textile antennas, this design introduces segmented patch geometries and switchable feed networks for discrete band switching, enhancing adaptability without increasing complexity. It shows strong potential for use in IoT-based applications in healthcare monitoring, where frequency agility, comfort, and low-profile integration are critical.