Vital Signs Detection using Radar Technologies

The project aims to investigate further advancements in the field of non-contact detection and monitoring of respiration rate and heart rate. With the recent developments in affordable and compact microwave radar hardware, it may be possible to design inexpensive and robust systems that can locate and continuously monitor the vital signs of living targets. This technology is not only more convenient than traditional methods requiring physical contact, but can also allow for a more reliable method of continuous vital sign monitoring, particularly useful for patients with risk of Sleep Apnea, SIDS, heart attack, or other.
A certain amount of work has been done on the application of CW radars and the development of hardware architectures. The focus of this project is directed towards novel and more reliable signal processing methods of detection and monitoring of vital signs, testing it in a number of applications, and considering further advancements to the field.
The main challenges that have to be addressed are difficulties that arise under certain conditions, making the detection and monitoring of the vital signs difficult - low SNR scenarios, random body motions, multiple target interference, to name a few, can significantly decrease the performance of a radar-based vital sign monitoring device.