HEARTBEAT DETECTION WITH RADAR The same type of millimeter wave radar used on the outside of vehicles can be put inside pointed at the driver to detect occupancy, movement, respiration, and heartbeat. This technology has been used in medical applications to measure vital signs, but using it in a vehicle introduces noise from vehicle vibration and makes measurements less accurate. Chris Schwarz and team, however, found that the NADS-1 simulator is an accurate platform to further test the technology in vehicles. When collecting heartbeat data in the simulator versus in an on-road vehicle, the results were comparable. In an upcoming study, the radar will be tested to see if it can be used to detect or predict drowsiness, compared to using a camera.
The radar device mounted in an on-road vehicle (top) and in the simulator (bottom) produced similar results when used to collect vital signs of the driver.
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