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Body-centric wireless communications represent a well-established field of research, with many studies and applications developed in a range of frequencies that extend from 400 MHz up to 10 GHz. However, many advantages can be found in operating such systems at millimeter-wave frequencies. For example, compact antennas suitable for body-centric applications can be obtained together with other benefits, such as higher data rates and reduced interference and ?observability.? Meanwhile, numerical modeling of antennas and propagation at millimeter-wave frequencies represents a major challenge in terms of efficiency and accuracy. The aim of this paper is to provide a review of recent progresses and outstanding challenges in the field of body-centric communication at frequencies of 60 GHz and 94 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate characterisation of the on-body performance of wearable antennas upcoming for future high-data-rate 60 GHz body area networks requires the development of experimental phantoms reproducing the dielectric properties of human skin. In this reported work, a low-cost and easy-to-fabricate semi-solid human skin phantom for body-centric antenna measurements has been manufactured and validated by measurements. It is demonstrated that the complex permittivity of the phantom equals that of human skin within the maximum error of 10% in the 57-64 GHz range. It is believed that this is the first skin-equivalent experimental model developed for on-body antenna characterisation at millimetre waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]