Research Facilities and Equipment

GRADCOM has access to advanced design, simulation, fabrication and measurement facilities for the development of RF, microwave, antenna, RFID and wireless power transfer technologies.

The group combines numerical modelling, electromagnetic simulation, prototyping and experimental validation, enabling the full development cycle from concept to laboratory demonstrator.

Electromagnetic Simulation and Design

GRADCOM uses professional electromagnetic and circuit-design tools for the analysis and optimization of RF, microwave and antenna systems, including:

  • Full-wave electromagnetic simulation
  • Circuit and system-level RF design
  • Antenna and waveguide modelling
  • Microwave circuit optimization
  • RFID tag and reader design
  • Field-confinement structure analysis
  • Wireless power transfer system modelling

These tools support the design of antennas, filters, couplers, rectifiers, waveguides, RFID devices and field-confining electromagnetic structures.

RF and Microwave Measurement

The group has access to measurement infrastructure for the characterization of RF and microwave devices, including:

  • Vector network analysis
  • S-parameter measurement
  • Antenna characterization
  • RFID reader and tag testing
  • Field-distribution measurements
  • Near-field and far-field evaluation
  • RF power and spectrum measurements

These capabilities are essential for validating prototypes, characterizing electromagnetic devices and supporting technology-transfer activities with industrial partners.

RFID and Wireless Communication Test Setups

GRADCOM develops and uses dedicated experimental setups for RFID and wireless communication systems, including:

  • UHF RFID reader and tag characterization
  • Near-field RFID measurement platforms
  • Controlled electromagnetic environments
  • Field-confinement validation setups
  • Wireless communication coverage testing
  • Reader-performance and tag-detection experiments

These facilities enable the evaluation of RFID systems in realistic and challenging environments, including industrial identification, logistics, healthcare and access-control applications.

Prototyping and Fabrication

The group has access to prototyping tools for the development of RF and microwave devices, including:

  • Printed circuit board prototyping
  • Microwave circuit fabrication
  • 3D printing
  • Mechanical assembly of experimental demonstrators
  • RF connectorization and packaging
  • Laboratory integration of electronic and electromagnetic subsystems

This infrastructure allows rapid iteration between design, fabrication and experimental validation.

Industrial Validation Capabilities

GRADCOM’s facilities support collaborative development with companies at different stages of technology maturity:

  • Feasibility studies
  • Electromagnetic design
  • Laboratory prototypes
  • Proof-of-concept demonstrators
  • RF and microwave characterization
  • RFID system validation
  • Pre-industrial testing
  • Support for patent development and technology transfer

The group is particularly interested in industrial collaborations involving RFID, traceability, electromagnetic sensing, antenna systems, field-confinement technologies and wireless power transfer.