Irish antenna company Taoglas has improved its Antenna Integrator tool with more design flexibility and collaboration features for engineers developing connected and IoT devices.

Antenna Integrator is part of the company’s AntennaXpert suite. The updates come as the AI in the models learn, adapt and improve from ongoing real-life use cases.

Nine new PCB shape templates – including circle, arc, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, L-shape, U-shape, stepped and custom user-defined geometries – have been added allowing engineers to model antenna placement on realistic board layouts. Users can also add rectangular and cylindrical metallic blocks to represent large components such as batteries or displays that affect antenna performance.

Additional features in this release include more export options (3D Step, PDF, DXF and JPG) to simplify collaboration between electrical and mechanical design teams, and three more antennas – NLA.01, DLA.01 and PCS.62 – expanding the tool’s library and design capabilities.

This update builds on enhancements introduced earlier this year, including added ultra-wideband (UWB) support and expanded performance data, as Taoglas continues to evolve the tool following its launch in late 2024.

As the connected-device market accelerates, ABI Research (www.abiresearch.com/market-research/product/7781010-iot-antennas) predicts that global IoT antenna shipments will reach 13 billion units by 2030, supported by the adoption of AI-enabled design workflows and rising demand for Bluetooth, wifi and cellular connectivity. The study highlights Antenna Integrator as an example of how digital design tools are helping engineers manage increasing antenna-design complexity across a growing range of connected products.

“ABI Research’s findings mirror what we’re seeing across the industry,” said Dermot O’Shea, CEO of Taoglas. “Engineers need faster, smarter ways to deliver reliable connectivity as devices pack in more radios and functionality. With Antenna Integrator, we’re giving design teams the ability to model real-world actual layouts, account for surrounding components and pick the right products for their design, helping them achieve optimal performance from the start.”

Antenna Integrator enables engineers to visualise and optimise antenna performance early in the design process. Its intuitive interface and rapid reporting, typically within 24 hours, help reduce iterations and accelerate time to market.

The enhanced Antenna Integrator is available at www.taoglas.com/taoglas-antenna-integrator/. Engineers can register for free and begin designing immediately.

This short video outlines how Antenna Integrator can leverage AI to build antenna design concepts in under 60s: youtu.be/mSRMLoIqDwQ.

Since its foundation in 2004, Taoglas (www.taoglas.com) has expanded its capabilities to include engineering design, in-house testing and pre-certification services.