‘Radar stethoscope’ could pave way for passive health monitoring

Described in the IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, the device uses a 24Ghz continuous-wave radar system to bounce electromagnetic waves off the body, which can be fully clothed. Advanced signal processing is then applied to the reflections of these sound waves to provide a precise pulse reading.

In tests on volunteers who were lying down but still in their clothes, the ‘radar stethoscope’ matched electrocardiogram (ECG) readings with 99 per cent accuracy. According to the Glasgow team, the device could play a role in future healthcare systems that can monitor patients around the clock non-invasively. 

“In recent years, advances in sensing technologies have opened up promising new methods of tracking patients’ vital signs without physical contact,” said study co-author Professor Qammer H Abbasi, co-head of the Communications, Sensing and Imaging Hub at Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering.

“These advances could help provide clinicians with round-the-clock monitoring of their patients without the use of invasive or uncomfortable wearable sensors, and strengthen infection control measures in cases where patients have a communicable illness.