Abstract Scope |
Every year, 20 to 50 million metric tons of e-waste are disposed of. Only 12.5% of e-waste is currently recycled [https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-e-waste]. Many electronics sensors are made using Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). The dielectric part is hard to recycle. Most of the non-metal wastes of printed circuit boards are therefore treated as landfills.
Despite the challenges in recycling PCBs, we see an increase in the usage of electronics, such as wireless sensors. These sensors and antennas may be used for applications in the environment and agriculture, biomedical sensing and implants, smart homes, and structural health monitoring. The growing number of sensors poses the challenge of using recyclable materials and the design of non-conventical radio frequency devices.
In this presentation, we review some of our wearable and implanted antennas using bio-friendly materials, such as textile, and PLA. We discuss the design practices related to the use of these materials. |