Ultra-wideband radar sensors for biomedical diagnostics and imaging

Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology has matured. One relevant application is radar sensing, which exploits the high temporal and spatial resolution of UWB signals, deep electromagnetic wave penetration through matter, low integral power, and the co-existence of UWB systems with narrow-band radio systems. This contribution focuses on UWB sensors for biomedical diagnostics and imaging, where three different modes of operation are envisaged: 1. Detecting motional features (e.g., for remote monitoring of vital functions). 2. Identifying permittivity contrast resulting from the specific water concentration in biological tissues (e.g., for breast cancer detection). 3. Enabling multimodal diagnostics, e.g., as navigator technique for magnetic resonance imaging. The paper aims at highlighting the potential and remaining challenges for such applications, and providing an overview of current UWB systems and their distinctive features. Special attention is paid to research recently conducted in the framework of the priority programme of the German Research Foundation (DFG) entitled “Ultra-wideband Radio Technologies for Communications, Localisation, and Sensing”.