Analysis of signal propagation loss on the human body in intrabody communication

Abstract

Near-field coupling communication (NFCC) is a technology that uses the surface of the human body as a transmission path in the MHz band. It is necessary to assess the signal loss on the body to ensure stable NFCC links. The dependence of signal loss on different positions on the body was measured with a transmitter powered by a battery and an electrically isolated probe as a receiver. The electric-field distributions on the body were evaluated with a high frequency structure simulator (HFSS). We found that the signal loss on the human body was affected by the shape of the body. These results enable us to design reliable NFCC links in various applications.