Metamaterials are artificial structures with the ability of exhibiting unusual and exotic electromagnetic properties such as the realisation of negative permittivity and permeability. Due to their unique characteristics, metamaterials have drawn broad interest and are considered to be a promising solution for improving the performance and overcoming the limitations of microwave components and especially antennas. This paper presents a detailed review of the most recent advancements associated with the design of metamaterial-based antennas. A brief introduction to the theory of metamaterials is provided in order to gain an insight into their working principle. Furthermore, the current state-of-theart regarding antenna miniaturisation, gain and isolation enhancement with metamaterials is investigated. Emphasis is primarily placed on practical metamaterial antenna applications that outperform conventional methods and are anticipated to play an active role in future wireless communications. The paper also presents and discusses various design challenges that demand further research and development efforts.

We present electrically small, multi-band, metamaterial-inspired antennas with adequate radiation characteristics and isolation enhancement. The antenna element consists of a complementary split-ring resonator (CSRR) embedded in a small monopole that has a size of λ/8 × λ/10 at the lowest frequency band, while rectangular patches are placed underneath it to further improve the performance. The antenna operates at the 2.4-2.5/2.9-4.8/5.1-6.5 GHz frequency bands. Moreover, we propose a systematic, metamaterial-based approach in order to improve the isolation between two of these small, closely spaced antenna elements at the lowest and highest frequency bands. The proposed techniques reduce the coupling by up to 29 dB without increasing the size of the structure. In particular, the isolation enhancement at the highest frequency band of interest is remarkably wideband. The cable effect, which is a common concern during the measurements of small antennas, is examined as well. The proposed antennas are not only small but also densely packed and can be easily integrated with modern, compact communication devices with advanced functionality. Simulations along with experimental results validate the effectiveness of our design.

This paper presents the design and implementation of a mechanically-controlled, series-fed antenna array featuring wide-angle beamsteering at the X-band. A theoretical model of a series-fed array, including phase shifters inserted between consecutive elements, is initially developed to derive design rules and gain insight into crucial performance trade-offs. Subsequently, a mechanically-controlled, reflection-type phase shifter consisting of a branch line coupler and two Pi-network reflective loads is presented. A movable metallic overlay tunes the impedance of the reflective loads, thus effectively modifying the output phase. While requiring a minimal linear displacement of only 0.06λ0, this topology provides a maximum phase shift of 300 • with an average insertion loss of 1 dB and is exploited for synthesizing a series-fed patch array. Based on simulations and measurements, the proposed antenna offers an almost constant realized gain of about 15 dBi within a wide scanning range of ±50 • , and the side lobe level is better than -12 dB. The average total efficiency is 50%, and the cross-polarization levels are at least 11 dB below the maximum realized gain. The main weaknesses are the narrow bandwidth of 2.5% and the slight beam squint as the frequency varies. The proposed design is ideal for radars due to its excellent performance and high power-handling capability.

The autonomous navigation of UAS requires, among others, detect-and-avoid capability as a prerequisite for enabling wide-ranging applications, including the transportation of goods and people. This article presents the design, implementation, and experimental results of a UAS-borne radar system detecting drones. The applications of the proposed system include not only detect-and-avoid systems for safe and autonomous navigation of unmanned aircraft systems but also airborne surveillance of malicious drones in controlled or restricted airspace for mitigating security and privacy threats. The system performance in terms of maximum detection range is evaluated through field tests. The experimental results show that the proposed UASborne radar can detect a DJI Phantom 4 and a DJI Matrice 600 Pro at a maximum distance of 440 and 500 meters, respectively. The article also provides insights into the system implementation and integration aspects, discusses future research direction, and stresses the need for standardization efforts to benchmark the required performance levels for UAS-borne radars.

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