Remote Vital Signs Detector

Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to continue developing the Remote Vital Signs Detector (RVSD) to meet the U.S. Air Force need for remote physiological monitoring for early identification and detection of terrorists, suicide bombers, or other persons posing a threat, by measuring heartbeat, respiration, and galvanic skin response (GSR). The proposed device will be able to characterize even moving and uncooperative subjects with high accuracy despite severe urban clutter or location behind walls. POC’s approach is based on inferring vital signs from microwave signals reflected from the human body surface. In Phase I POC successfully designed, analyzed, and fabricated key components, integrated a prototype, and demonstrated the capability of through-the-wall detection and the feasibility of using the RVSD to measure object vibration within 10 m with ~10 mW microwave power. Our Phase II efforts will focus on optimizing the RVSD design to meet the Air Force requirements, fabricating optimized components, and integrating/testing a prototype capable of measuring the heartbeat, respiration rate, and skin dielectric constant of a moving subject. The Phase II prototype will be a handheld battery-powered personnel assessment device, and operate beyond 35 m with a >95% probability of detection and a false alarm rate <2%.