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The Polarization and Impedance Controlled Car : An Interactive Tool for Teaching Electromagnetic Principles

Bergkvist, Teo ; Edgren, Otto ; Gren, Oscar ; Jacobsson, Måns ; Nelson, Christian LU orcid and Lundgren, Johan LU (2025) In IEEE Access 13. p.139080-139088
Abstract

The Polarization and Impedance Controlled Car (PICC) presents an innovative approach for demonstrating and teaching key principles of electromagnetic field theory, specifically polarization and impedance. Designed as an interactive learning tool, the PICC utilizes a radio-controlled car, NanoVNA, Raspberry Pi, and handheld antennas to visualize real-time effects of polarization and impedance. The system incorporates two orthogonal linearly polarized patch antennas on a shared ground plane connected to a NanoVNA. A strip grid is utilized to affect the reflection and transmission properties of the two antennas, which in turn enables controlled car movements. This paper details the design, measurements, and simulations involved in creating... (More)

The Polarization and Impedance Controlled Car (PICC) presents an innovative approach for demonstrating and teaching key principles of electromagnetic field theory, specifically polarization and impedance. Designed as an interactive learning tool, the PICC utilizes a radio-controlled car, NanoVNA, Raspberry Pi, and handheld antennas to visualize real-time effects of polarization and impedance. The system incorporates two orthogonal linearly polarized patch antennas on a shared ground plane connected to a NanoVNA. A strip grid is utilized to affect the reflection and transmission properties of the two antennas, which in turn enables controlled car movements. This paper details the design, measurements, and simulations involved in creating the PICC and introduces an open-source Python library for NanoVNA data streaming. The PICC illustrates a practical application of electromagnetic principles potentially providing a more engaging learning experience for undergraduate students.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Impedance matching, NanoVNA, polarization, student design contest
in
IEEE Access
volume
13
pages
9 pages
publisher
IEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
external identifiers
  • scopus:105013040246
ISSN
2169-3536
DOI
10.1109/ACCESS.2025.3595273
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
49e88bfe-21d9-4f52-b8f9-6185f97aaaa3
date added to LUP
2026-01-09 09:05:55
date last changed
2026-01-09 09:06:36
@article{49e88bfe-21d9-4f52-b8f9-6185f97aaaa3,
  abstract     = {{<p>The Polarization and Impedance Controlled Car (PICC) presents an innovative approach for demonstrating and teaching key principles of electromagnetic field theory, specifically polarization and impedance. Designed as an interactive learning tool, the PICC utilizes a radio-controlled car, NanoVNA, Raspberry Pi, and handheld antennas to visualize real-time effects of polarization and impedance. The system incorporates two orthogonal linearly polarized patch antennas on a shared ground plane connected to a NanoVNA. A strip grid is utilized to affect the reflection and transmission properties of the two antennas, which in turn enables controlled car movements. This paper details the design, measurements, and simulations involved in creating the PICC and introduces an open-source Python library for NanoVNA data streaming. The PICC illustrates a practical application of electromagnetic principles potentially providing a more engaging learning experience for undergraduate students.</p>}},
  author       = {{Bergkvist, Teo and Edgren, Otto and Gren, Oscar and Jacobsson, Måns and Nelson, Christian and Lundgren, Johan}},
  issn         = {{2169-3536}},
  keywords     = {{Impedance matching; NanoVNA; polarization; student design contest}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{139080--139088}},
  publisher    = {{IEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.}},
  series       = {{IEEE Access}},
  title        = {{The Polarization and Impedance Controlled Car : An Interactive Tool for Teaching Electromagnetic Principles}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2025.3595273}},
  doi          = {{10.1109/ACCESS.2025.3595273}},
  volume       = {{13}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}