Clear signal

Scientists from Queen Mary, University of London are developing the next generation of small, lightweight avionics antennas using novel materials.

The three-year, £3.4m AMULET (Advanced Materials for Ubiquitous Leading-edge Electromagnetic Technologies) project has received £1.9m in funding from the Technology Strategy Board’s Collaborative Research and Development programme.

The work follows on from research at QMUL into ways to optimise antenna of wearable communications devices to reduce signal fade caused by positioning and movement.

Project partners include the National Physical Laboratory, antenna system specialists ERA Technology, part of aerospace company Cobham, and Vector Fields, creators of software for modelling and analysing electromagnetic equipment and effects.

The group will attempt to design and manufacture next generation broadband, multifunctional, adaptive and conformal antennas for aerospace communication systems.

At radio frequencies, everyday objects refract and reflect radiowaves in the same way that glass and mirrors do with normal light.