Human Activity Classification Using On-Body Miniaturized Antennas

EM waves are extremely powerful when it comes to propagation of information during communication. There is no alternative to EM waves in such applications. However, the use of EM waves or antennas in general has not been explored fully as sensors for measuring the change in physical environment. This particular aspect has been exploited and the present work focuses on the application of antennas into the domain of classification. We propose accurate human activity classification (HAC) using on body miniaturized antennas. A simple patch antenna has been designed in order to be employed on human body for HAC. The antenna has been tested with respect to its Specific Absorption Ratio (SAR) values in order to make it body-mountable. The antenna has been fabricated and tested on human body while performing daily activities. The reflection co-efficient of antennas is a function of human motion activities and this principle is exploited to achieve the desired results. To explore different approaches, a miniaturized circularly polarized antenna is then designed and tested. The results of the two antennas are then compared. Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) algorithm has been used for the analysis of the Reflection co-efficient of the antenna. Excellent activity classification performance has been obtained using both the antennas, the miniaturized antenna giving better results.