We sit in the Swansea University campus looking back at Arun's past and the future which seems to be ready to catapult him into greatness. Schooled in State Bank Officer's Association in Coimbatore and then completing a shining undergraduate degree in Communications Engineering at Dr MGR University, Chennai, Arun was already into presenting research papers in Singapore, Malaysia and Japan to telecommunications companies before coming here. Presently studying in Swansea University at the Institute of Advanced Telecommunications - MRes Communication Systems Photonics, he was encouraged to develop his expertise here with the help of his mentor Dr Amit Mehta. In these few months, he has invented a 45 degree beam steerable antenna which he has patented in his name. The university has been so pleased with Arun's invention and subsequent patent that he has been nominated Ambassador of the University of Wales for this year. Marianne de Nazareth spoke to Arun regarding his invention and what his contribution means to the Telecommunications Industry in general.

What’s the name of your invention and when did you get it patented?

I came to Swansea, UK, to prove myself as there are very few people in the world doing this kind of research. I have invented a 45 degree beam steerable antenna here at the Institute of Advanced Telecommunications (IAT) Swansea, and am pleased to say it has been patented in my name on January 30, 2008.

Could you explain what makes your invention special?

You use a mobile phone, don't you? Well, when you travel in the tube or in remote areas the connectivity gets disrupted. This is because the signal in your antenna is radiated and scattered in unwanted directions. My invention is a beam steering antenna which radiates in a particular direction and so the connectivity does not get broken.

In what areas can your invention be used?

My invention called the double square loop antenna can be used in WiMAX, 4G and other high data rate mobile transceivers, wireless LAN, satellite communication, robotics and for military purposes. Specially in highly populated countries like India where there are a large number of users, where signals cross each other between users, my invention can be deployed effectively, as it ensures unbroken coverage. The common problem that mobile users face when they move out of range is broken signals. My invention will overcome that problem.

What are the properties of your antenna?

My antenna has a high directive and radiating power and the focus of the beam in the target direction is strong with very low signal loss. The antenna operates in four different frequencies. To avoid signal loss beam steerable antenna was invented and was deployed only in Base Stations. But for the fist time, a single element 45 degree beam steerable antenna with multi-channel operation is proposed for PDA, mobiles, laptops, etc. It is also low on manufacturing costs with multipurpose applications.

With whom have you collaborated your research?

My research is collaborated with NXP Semiconductors, Phillips, UK, University of Essex and IAT, Swansea. Iam also a member of IEEE APS.