Design and Implementation of a Low-Cost Switch Matrix Using Ultra Wide Band Frequencies for Breast Cancer Detection

In this article, a low-cost switching hardware system is developed, and a Delay and Sum (DAS) algorithm is implemented for the early detection of breast cancer. It is based on the operation of a near field radar, with the use of ultra wide band (UWB) microwave signals through the emission and reception of electromagnetic waves from a set of switched antennas around the breast, that propagate through the breast tissue. It is composed of low cost, readily available commercial components resulting in a device that is both portable and with moderate cost. The operation consists on the frequency domain characterization of the medium permittivity, and the application of confocal microwave imaging techniques to estimate the location of regions with anomalous characteristics.