Analysis of Shielding Properties of Head Covers Made of Conductive Materials in Application to 5G Wireless Systems

The introduction of the fifth generation wireless systems caused social emotions regarding the impact of electromagnetic waves on people. Many people who consider themselves to be particularly sensitive to radiation make metal foil head covers (so called “tinfoil hats”) to shield their body from rad...

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Main Author: Łukasz Januszkiewicz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-10-01
Series:Energies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/21/7004
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author Łukasz Januszkiewicz
author_facet Łukasz Januszkiewicz
author_sort Łukasz Januszkiewicz
collection DOAJ
description The introduction of the fifth generation wireless systems caused social emotions regarding the impact of electromagnetic waves on people. Many people who consider themselves to be particularly sensitive to radiation make metal foil head covers (so called “tinfoil hats”) to shield their body from radiation. The aim of this paper is to show how effective the “tinfoil hat” really is when applied to base station radiation in a fifth generation telecommunication system. It presents the results of investigation on effectiveness of these protections in terms of their shielding properties at the frequencies used in fifth generation wireless systems. The research was carried out based on computer simulations. Remcom XFdtd software (software: XFdtd version 7.8.1 manufacturer: Remcom, 315 South Allen Street, Suite 416 State College, PA, USA) utilizing a finite difference time domain method and a numerical model of the head was applied to obtain the data on shielding properties of conductive head covers. It was found that in the case of foil head covers the maximum reduction factor of power density in the head region is approximately 50%. Furthermore, the application of a metal surface shield increases the maximum value of energy absorbed by human tissue in some regions of the head. To overcome this problem, the design of a wire-based shielding structure that does not reduce user comfort is presented as an alternative to the full-metal head cover. For wave propagation in the horizontal plane, its performance is comparable to tinfoil-like structure, but its design makes it much more comfortable for the user.
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spelling doaj.art-6abfe1425c4948da988f20cc19f837072023-11-22T20:42:07ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732021-10-011421700410.3390/en14217004Analysis of Shielding Properties of Head Covers Made of Conductive Materials in Application to 5G Wireless SystemsŁukasz Januszkiewicz0Institute of Electronics, Lodz University of Technology, Al. Politechniki 10 Street, 93-590 Lodz, PolandThe introduction of the fifth generation wireless systems caused social emotions regarding the impact of electromagnetic waves on people. Many people who consider themselves to be particularly sensitive to radiation make metal foil head covers (so called “tinfoil hats”) to shield their body from radiation. The aim of this paper is to show how effective the “tinfoil hat” really is when applied to base station radiation in a fifth generation telecommunication system. It presents the results of investigation on effectiveness of these protections in terms of their shielding properties at the frequencies used in fifth generation wireless systems. The research was carried out based on computer simulations. Remcom XFdtd software (software: XFdtd version 7.8.1 manufacturer: Remcom, 315 South Allen Street, Suite 416 State College, PA, USA) utilizing a finite difference time domain method and a numerical model of the head was applied to obtain the data on shielding properties of conductive head covers. It was found that in the case of foil head covers the maximum reduction factor of power density in the head region is approximately 50%. Furthermore, the application of a metal surface shield increases the maximum value of energy absorbed by human tissue in some regions of the head. To overcome this problem, the design of a wire-based shielding structure that does not reduce user comfort is presented as an alternative to the full-metal head cover. For wave propagation in the horizontal plane, its performance is comparable to tinfoil-like structure, but its design makes it much more comfortable for the user.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/21/7004bioelectromagnetics5GFDTDhuman body modelshieldingSAR
spellingShingle Łukasz Januszkiewicz
Analysis of Shielding Properties of Head Covers Made of Conductive Materials in Application to 5G Wireless Systems
Energies
bioelectromagnetics
5G
FDTD
human body model
shielding
SAR
title Analysis of Shielding Properties of Head Covers Made of Conductive Materials in Application to 5G Wireless Systems
title_full Analysis of Shielding Properties of Head Covers Made of Conductive Materials in Application to 5G Wireless Systems
title_fullStr Analysis of Shielding Properties of Head Covers Made of Conductive Materials in Application to 5G Wireless Systems
title_full_unstemmed Analysis of Shielding Properties of Head Covers Made of Conductive Materials in Application to 5G Wireless Systems
title_short Analysis of Shielding Properties of Head Covers Made of Conductive Materials in Application to 5G Wireless Systems
title_sort analysis of shielding properties of head covers made of conductive materials in application to 5g wireless systems
topic bioelectromagnetics
5G
FDTD
human body model
shielding
SAR
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/21/7004
work_keys_str_mv AT łukaszjanuszkiewicz analysisofshieldingpropertiesofheadcoversmadeofconductivematerialsinapplicationto5gwirelesssystems