Berhampur: In a significant achievement, researchers at Odisha’s Berhampur University have developed a low-cost and compact antenna with the potential to transform mobile communication, mainly in rural and semi-urban areas.
The circularly polarised metasurface antenna, measuring around 40 sq mm, will be more efficient and affordable than the conventional models, the researchers said.
“Traditional antennas use mostly high-cost materials for better performance, but the new design uses the cheapest materials of FR-4 substrate. It makes the cost of a single antenna less than Rs 100, overcoming the usual limitations of antennas and achieves wider bandwidth and higher efficiency,” said Deepak Kumar Naik, assistant professor of the university’s department of electronic science and principal investigator of the project.
“The circularly polarised design also ensures stronger and more reliable signals, even in rainy and extreme weather, making it highly suitable for applications in 5G mobile networks, radar systems and satellite communications,” TOI quoted Naik as saying.
The study on ‘Characteristic model inspired broadband circularly polarized meta-surface antenna with triple-mode excitation for sub-6GHz applications, published in the journal, Scientific Reports, under the Nature portfolio.
The antenna is capable of speeding up India’s 5G rollout, improve defence radar systems, and reduce the cost of satellite communication
The project was funded by the university’s research and development (R&D) seed fund. Other researchers included Dhruba Charan Panda, head of the department, Rajani Kanta Swain, Arjun Muduli and Amrindra Pal.
Vice-chancellor Geetanjali Dash congratulated the team for the new innovation.