Team Members: Rachel Zini, Ayelet Sommer

Supervisors / Mentors: Dr. Shimon Mizrachi

 

Natural disasters frequently disrupt communication infrastructure, leaving affected areas without essential connectivity. This project addresses the critical need for rapidly deployable, low-cost communication systems by developing a balloon-mounted parabolic Wi-Fi antenna capable of extending standard wireless range from at most 100m to hundreds of meters or even several kilometers.

Our system employs standard 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi technology with an inflatable deployment mechanism. The design consists of a 1-meter diameter balloon serving as an elevated platform, carrying a parabolic reflector constructed from aluminum foil with a custom-built microstrip patch antenna positioned at the focal point. The inflatable structure provides the necessary elevation to establish clear line-of-sight communication paths over extended distances. Based on background research, achieving 10 km range requires approximately 20 dB gain on each side of the communication link. Through simulations and practical testing, we developed a design incorporating a 70 cm diameter parabolic reflector combined with a 7.1 cm × 7.7 cm microstrip patch antenna positioned at the focal point. The preliminary findings indicate a promising approach toward developing a viable, easily deployable solution for emergency communication restoration in disaster scenarios where traditional infrastructure has been compromised.