Name for the antenna inside a smart pendant came from Oreo cookies

More than technical skills are required of students when the largest jewelry maker in Finland requests functional and feasible improvements to its new product.

'On this course, students learn and need practical working life skills such as applying theories, creativity and working in cross-disciplinary teams', says University Lecturer Jari Holopainen. He teaches the Antennas workshop course, for which the topic was this autumn provided by Kalevala Jewelry. The company has recently introduced smart jewelry that it is developing in cooperation with users and promising start-up companies. The pendants in the Buddy series, made in cooperation with Biisafe, are the first pieces of jewelry to have reached the test stage. The button in the pendant enables the person wearing it to share their location or call for help.

During the course, the students examined how the Bluetooth antenna integrated into the metal pendant functioned and generated suggestions for improvement. For example, they discovered that the antenna's efficiency could be improved by making adjustments such as changing the location of the battery inside the pendant. The students also generated entirely new suggestions for integrating an antenna into the pendant, of which the Oreo antenna, named after the cookie of the same shape, was found the most promising one by Kalevala Jewelry. 

'I think the course was a success. It was wonderful to see how the students really got interested in the topic. They designed, manufactured and measured new prototypes enthusiastically with the new Starlab antenna measurement device. The Oreo antenna is so interesting and good that we intend to publish the results together with the students in a journal or conference in this field', says Holopainen.

The Antennas workshop is part of the Major in Radio Science and Engineering in the Master's Programme in Nano and Radio Sciences.

Photos from the final seminar of the course.