Activation and deactivation detection for a passive wearable metasurface using a segmented ground plane

A system, comprising:

• a computing device coupled to a wireless radio frequency receiver and a wireless radio frequency transmitter;
• and
• a wearable metasurface comprising respective passive unit cells that, based on a skin conductivity of a user wearing the wearable metasurface that causes a segmented ground plane of the wearable metasurface to act as a continuous ground plane, redirect transmitted wireless radio frequency signals, transmitted by the wireless radio frequency transmitter and impinging on at least part of the metasurface, as reflected wireless radio frequency signals for reception by the wireless radio frequency receiver,
• wherein the respective passive unit cells comprise respective elements that alter at least one property of the reflected wireless radio frequency signals relative to the transmitted wireless radio frequency signals to facilitate proximity detection, by the computing device, of the user wearing the wearable metasurface.

A method, comprising:

• detecting, by a system comprising at least one processor, a proximity of a user to a computing device that comprises or is coupled to a receiver, the detecting comprising:
• receiving a wireless radio frequency signal at the receiver, and
• determining that received radiation pattern data representative of a received radiation pattern associated with the wireless radio frequency signal matches expected radiation pattern data representative of an expected radiation pattern associated with a wearable metasurface associated with the user, the wearable metasurface comprising a segmented ground plane of separated metallic segments, wherein the wearable metasurface reflects a transmitted signal to the receiver based on the segmented ground plane being a completed ground plane as a result of a skin conductivity of the user wearing the wearable metasurface electrically coupling the separated metallic segments to one another;
• in response to the determining that the received radiation pattern data matches the expected radiation pattern data, determining, by the system, that the user associated with the wearable metasurface is within a specified proximity distance of the computing device;
• and
• taking action, by the system, based on the user associated with the wearable metasurface being determined to be within the specified proximity distance of the computing device.