The CZK 17 million facility allows testing and measuring the real properties of antennas and other systems working with electromagnetic waves, for example in the field of radio communication, radar technology or mobile networks. It is the first ever antenna anechoic chamber in North and Central Moravia and some of its technical parameters are unparalleled in the Czech Republic. Its creation was supported by the REFRESH strategic project aimed at transforming the Moravian-Silesian region through cutting-edge science and innovation.

The Antenna Reflectionless Chamber is used to test antennas and other radio systems in an environment without interfering reflections. It simulates measurements in free space without multipath propagation. The importance of these devices is increasing with the development of new communication technologies, where it is necessary to confirm whether the design of the solution is consistent with the implemented prototype.

"Manufacturers need to verify that their equipment complies with the standards defined by the standard. Until recently, we could not meet their demand, so they had to travel outside the region. We are glad that now, thanks to the new antenna anechoic chamber operating in the 700 MHz to 40 GHz frequency band, we can already help them in the development of antenna systems for various electronic devices," said Miroslav Vozňák from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics (FEI), where the antenna anechoic chamber is located. According to him, FEI experts can supply companies with the necessary information throughout the entire process of development and production of antenna systems, from the initial design, modelling and simulation of their properties in specialised software to the production and verification of their real parameters in the newly built chamber. However, the new facilities will also be used extensively by academics in research and innovation development. After Prague, Brno and Pardubice, VŠB-TUO is only the fourth domestic university where the antenna shockless chamber is located. Measuring eight metres in length and 3.5 metres in height, it is one of the largest in this comparison.

"The Chamber will be a major contributor to research in the area of IoT and fifth and, in the future, sixth generation mobile networks. This is a very promising area and we believe we will achieve international projects in this area. With the Chamber, for example, we want to contribute to research on quantum radar. This is a revolutionary technology that could change the way we detect objects in the future - from military reconnaissance to aviation, biomedicine or security applications," Marek Dvorský from the FEI explained some of the research directions.

"Cutting-edge infrastructure and people who know how to use it are key to working with companies. Without such investments, we would not be able to compete with the rapid development of communication technologies, which are driving many fields today," said Igor Ivan, Vice-Rector of the University of Economics and Technology and Director of the REFRESH project. The faculty is also planning to include the antenna shockless chamber in the teaching of courses of the Communication and Information Technology study programme and to use it in students' final theses.