Reconfigurable Antennas: A Review of Recent Progress and Future Prospects for Next Generation

Reconfigurable antennas are devices that can dynamically alter their geometry and/or electromagnetic properties to facilitate different behaviors. Numerous approaches for achieving reconfigurability have been studied over the past 20 years, mainly consisting of mechanical, electrical, optical, and metamaterial methods. This review presents the most notable works and advancements in this field while placing a significant focus on antennas with explicit practical applications in the emerging areas of millimeter waves, 5G/6G communications, Internet-of-Things (IoT), high-throughput satellites, and miniaturized systems among several others. The various reconfiguration methods mentioned will be compared, and their benefits and drawbacks discussed.