A new radar technology with life-saving applications
PhD candidate Ziqian Zhang and NSSN co-Director Professor Benjamin Eggleton.
Scientists from the University of Sydney have achieved a technology breakthrough with potentially life-saving applications by using an improved version of radar.
Called ‘advanced photonic radar’, the ultra-high-resolution device is so sensitive it can detect an object’s location, speed, and/or angle in millimetres as opposed to metres. This could enable usage in hospitals to monitor people’s vital signs such as breathing and heart rate.
The NSW Smart Sensing Network Co-Director Professor Benjamin Eggleton who is the principal investigator for this research said: “Our invention represents a breakthrough with the use of photonics (light particles). I’m excited about the potential non-traditional applications of this technology regarding human movement.”
Research co-lead, PhD candidate Mr Ziqian Zhang said: “We hope to see real-world applications of this low-cost technology in the not-too-distant future.”
In the case of breathing, the radar could continuously detect a person’s chest rising and falling. The usual method of monitoring this is via a strap around a person’s chest. In the case of burn victims with sensitive skin, however, this is impractical. Similarly, infants have insufficient attaching areas for sleep apnea monitoring, so the novel radar technology could be a better alternative.
Privacy is another concern addressed by the new system. Traditional health surveillance methods such as cameras capture a patient’s face, whereas radar, which uses only radio waves, allows patients to remain completely anonymous.
The researchers plan to test their system on cane toads, and ultimately, on human participants. The technology is safe, and the research is undergoing ethics approval to proceed.
Once an advanced prototype has been developed, the researchers say it could be miniaturised onto a photonic chip which is small enough to build into a mobile phone.
An explanation of the device has been published in high-impact journal Laser and Photonics Review.