Can body ‐worn devices be used for measuring personal exposure to mm waves¿

Fifth generation (5G) telecommunication networks will require more bandwidth and will use mm waves (30–300 GHz). Consequently, the aperture of antennas that are used for electromagnetic field measurements will be reduced in comparison to the ones currently used for lower frequencies (0.1–6 GHz). In combination with existing limits on incident power density prescribed by exposure guidelines, this provides an upper limit to received powers during exposure measurements. Simultaneously, an increase in the noise floor of transmitted signals will occur. These effects limit the dynamic range of measurements to 53 dB (2 × 105) at 300 GHz and 73 dB (2 × 107) at 30 GHz, which are determined using a simplified model. Additional propagation losses that exceed this dynamic range can occur during on‐body measurements. Therefore, in future wireless networks, an on‐body measurement of the incident power density cannot be guaranteed using a single antenna. This effect is problematic for both occupational measurements and epidemiological studies. We propose to use multiple, dynamic antennas on the body instead. Bioelectromagnetics. 2017;9999:XX–XX. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Source: Bioelectromagnetics - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Letter to the Editor Source Type: research