Bendable and Conformable 3-D-Printed Dielectric Resonator Antenna Enabled by Structural Segmentation

The integration of flexible and conformable antennas is essential for devices that must operate on non-planar surfaces, particularly in avionics, automotive, and wearable systems where rigid solutions are often inadequate. This paper presents a novel bendable dielectric resonator antenna (DRA), designed for operating in the 2.4-GHz band for Wi-Fi/IoT applications. The key contribution lies in achieving mechanical adaptability through structural segmentation of the dielectric resonator, rather than employing intrinsically flexible dielectric materials, an approach not previously explored for DRAs. In combination with a 3D-printed flexible substrate, this method enables the antenna to preserve stable electromagnetic performance under deformation. Experimental validation confirms that the proposed design maintains a stable impedance bandwidth of approximately 28% across all tested bending configurations, with measured gain ranging from 1.82 dBi in convex bending to 4.13 dBi in concave bending. The complete design workflow, fabrication process, and measurement results demonstrate the feasibility of integrating mechanical flexibility into DRA systems through the use of additive manufacturing.