Radars are usually associated with navigation. For example, air traffic controllers and airports use them extensively. As do military surveillance systems. And some robot vacuum cleaners. However, scientists at the University of Sydney believe that radar technology could become a life saver for burn victims and babies. Radars could soon find their application in hospitals.
Radar (radio detection and ranging) is already an old technology. Basically, a radio wave is transmitted into some area. It echoes back from surfaces, allowing computers to recognize them to some capacity. For example, military radars can detect rockets and enemy aircraft. However, the new advanced photonic radar is a bit different. Just like other radar systems it can detect an object’s location, speed, and direction, but it works on a much smaller scale. While big radars work in meters and kilometers, this one will deal with millimeters and will be able to monitor people’s vital signs such as breathing and heart rate.
You may think that we already have enough technology for monitoring vital signs. However, infants are usually too small for some equipment (like sleep apnea monitoring devices) and burn victims may have severely injured skin, which is too sensitive for the touch. This is why it would be better to monitor vital signs remotely using a radar.
This new medical radar uses photonics. This allows the advanced photonic radar to work with a broader range of frequencies. As big radars can track movements of planes, this small medical radar can track the movement of the chest as the patient is breathing. Or heartbeat. In some cases when suitable skin area is limited or the patient is too small to have sufficient attachment points, radar technology could be a real life saver. Advanced photonic radar would be quite cost-effective and could produce high resolution images suitable for clinical application.
Scientists will now develop advanced prototypes of this technology, aiming to introduce it to clinical use as soon as possible. They believe that the chip could be so small that it would fit into a mobile phone. Professor Benjamin Eggleton, one of the creators of the advanced photonic radar, said: “Our invention represents a breakthrough with the use of photonics (light particles). I’m excited about the potential non-traditional applications of this technology, regarding human movement.”
Radar is not new, but people continue finding new applications for this technology. Robots, autonomous cars and medical devices could benefit from it greatly. As well as advanced home security devices and infrastructure monitoring systems.
Source: University of Sydney
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