VitalTrack: A Doppler radar sensor platform for monitoring activity levels

An activity-level monitoring platform is developed using a non-contact Doppler radar sensor. The need for assistive living and smart home technologies will arise due to the increase in the aging population, and non-contact sensing technologies have the potential to revolutionize home healthcare delivery. Based on developments at University of Florida´s Radio Frequency Circuits and Systems Research Laboratory, relevant information on how active people are during the day based on their physiological movements is obtained using algorithms and a non-contact Doppler radar sensor. A continuous 5.8 GHz radar wave emitted by the sensor is phase-modulated by the chest wall movement observed. The range of the radar sensor is on the order of 1.8 to 2 meters. Computer vision algorithms are used to detect and track a person as their movements are captured. Experiments were performed to monitor a person´s activity levels over periods of time and the analysis of measured results is presented.