A small radar device created by researchers at Waterloo Engineering has the potential to provide silent, unseen and unobtrusive heart monitoring almost anywhere people sit down.
"Imagine a future where your car, your couch and even your office chair don't just support your body – they also actively protect your health by serving as early warning systems," said Dr. George Shaker, an adjunct associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. "If widely adopted, this technology has enormous potential to save lives."
The core of the system is a “super-sensitive motion detector” capable of registering the small chest movements created by a beating heart.
A cellphone-sized box attached behind a seat emits radar waves that invisibly fan out, then bounce back from the body of the person sitting in it. The waves register barely perceptible chest movements that are analyzed by a sophisticated computer algorithm aided by artificial intelligence (AI).
“Unlike wearable devices that you have to remember to charge and put on, radar works continuously in the background,” Shaker said. “It can monitor heart activity, stress, fatigue and potential cardiac risks whether you’re driving, watching TV or sitting at your desk.”
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