Ultra Wideband Conformal Printable Metamaterial An

SI2 Technologies, Inc. (SI2) proposes an innovative solution to the Army’s need for a conformal printable antenna system to support a communication relay radio for HMMWVs, small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles such as the Shadow 200, and soldier jackets and/or helmets. Our innovation is based on a novel wideband electromagnetic band gap (EBG) metamaterial design that allows us to obtain a low profile, broadband antenna element that operates in the VHF-UHF range and also apply our Direct Write technique for printing the antenna on a doubly curved surface. During Phase I, the metamaterial printable antenna concept will be refined using high fidelity numerical modeling and simulation tools. The performance of the antenna will be simulated, including platform effects, and validated through the manufacture and testing of a hardware demonstrator. A full scale prototype will be fabricated in the follow-on Phase II program. The prototype will be tested on a representative platform structure to demonstrate the antenna’s wideband performance capabilities, its flexibility, and its ability to adhere to the skin of HMMWV, Shadow 200 UAV and soldier helmets/jackets.