To hear a pitter-patter from afar: Catching heartbeats with millimeter-wave radar

The researchers say this will allow for the development

of "casual sensing"—taking measurements as people go about their daily activities, for instance, when they are going to bed or getting ready to start the day.

"Taking measurements with sensors on the body can be stressful and troublesome, because you have to stop what you're doing," says Hiroyuki Sakai, a researcher at Panasonic. "What we tried to make was something that would offer people a way to monitor their body in a casual and relaxed environment."

The added convenience of remote sensing, the team believes, will be an incentive for people to monitor their health status for their own benefit.

The remote sensing system combines millimeter-wave spread-spectrum radar technology and a unique signal analysis algorithm that identify signals from the body.

Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2016-01-pitter-patter-afar-heartbeats-millimeter-wave-radar.html#jCp