Radar-based Vital Sign detection

The Challenge

Wearable technologies such as the Apple Watch do a fantastic job of monitoring key health parameters, including heart rate, temperature, physical activity and blood oxygen levels. However, gaps remain for people who cannot access these technologies, choose not to wear them, or remove them during periods when monitoring is most valuable, such as sleep. Remote monitoring systems have the potential to address this challenge, but the optimal combination of sensors and measurement approaches remains unclear. Accurately capturing health data in complex personal environments, such as bedrooms, also presents significant technical challenges. If these barriers can be overcome, remote monitoring could provide easier and more continuous access to sleep-related health information, enabling earlier detection and intervention for conditions such as sleep apnoea.

The Solution

The project explores a sensor-fusion approach that combines information from multiple sensing modalities, allowing each sensor to compensate for the limitations of the others while maintaining a cost-effective solution. The Eggleton Research Group at the University of Sydney has a long track record in the remote monitoring of vital signs using photonics-based radar technologies. Building on this expertise, the project uses commercially available radar systems alongside other passive sensors to capture sufficient data for monitoring key human health parameters without requiring devices to be worn on the body. The project is being undertaken in collaboration with Bright OS, combining innovative sensing hardware with well-established software platforms to aggregate, analyse and present health data in a meaningful way.

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