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.