Contactless health monitoring

Radar is already being used successfully in the automotive sector. Together with lidar and camera, it forms the basis for modern driver assistance systems. For autonomous driving, radar is known for monitoring outside the vehicle. But the vehicle interior also offers various application possibilities.

In the future, as soon as the assistance systems reach their limits, radar will be used to quickly determine whether the driver is ready to take the wheel again. Fraunhofer IDMT are already planning test measurements for the use of radar vital sign detection in vehicles for people in a seated position in order to monitor the vital parameters of the driver, e. g. for professional drivers or, in perspective, in autonomous vehicles. In the future, this should make it possible to assess the driver's condition quickly and robustly. For this application, it is conceivable to position the radar in the vehicle ceiling.

After just a few minutes in a closed car in the sun, the situation can become life-threatening for children and animals. Young children are particularly vulnerable to heat, as they sweat less than adults. The radar can be used to detect more than just the driver's vital signs. The pulse and movement measurements can also detect the presence of children or animals in vehicles. This is therefore of particular interest to the automotive industry.

Most of the time, breathing is not continuously monitored in nursing or in hospital, especially during sleep. As a result, a change for the worse in the patient's condition is noticed late. Continuous recording of respiratory parameters with discret, external sensors can be a solution. The recorded respiratory data provide information about the general state of health and can be used for an early alarm in case of deterioration. The measurement is enabled by a radar that measures without contact and is therefore particularly user-friendly and hygienic.

Sleep problems can become a health risk. This is because poor sleep increases the risk of daytime sleepiness. This is especially the case with breathing-related sleep problems, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or sleep apnea. The nocturnal breathing pauses in sleep apnea also carry a high risk of cardiovascular degradations and additional diseases. The contactless respiratory monitoring, developed at the Oldenburg Branch for Hearing, Speech and Audio Technology HSA, is aimed at companies in the consumer health sector as well as markets for medical devices for vital data recording. In our Connected Health work area, we develop solutions for health services that can be used flexibly from anywhere and function contactless.

Various neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's or epilepsy, are associated with movement disorders. For example, tremors, persistent muscle tension or balance disorders. These can be depicted in the radar data. Radar technology can also be combined with other solutions, such as mobile EEG systems, to improve the detection of epileptic seizures.

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) refers to the sudden death of a healthy-appearing infant for no known medical reason. The sleeping position on the back, the use of a sleeping bag instead of pillows and blankets and a separate bed ensure a safer sleeping environment for infants. In addition to these preventative measures, the use of a radar to monitor vital functions is also conceivable here. In this way, irregularities in breathing, pulse or an unsafe sleeping position of the child can be identified at an early stage.