Remote Vital Signs Detector

To address the U.S. Air Force need for a microwave/laser-based technology to measure heartbeat, respiration, and galvanic skin response (GSR) in moving and uncooperative subjects, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Remote Vital Signs Detector (RVSD). This proposed device uses microwave technology to detect Doppler shifts induced by human’s heartbeat and respiration and movement. The RVSD will consist of an automatic clutter-canceller (ACC) subsystem to eliminate clutter signals reflected from static targets, an automatic power control (APC) subsystem to improve signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio, and a digital signal processor (DSP) unit for signal processing. The device will detect heartbeat rate, respiration rate, and speed of the remote subject to help identify potential threats. In Phase I POC will demonstrate the feasibility of detecting remote personnel at 20 meters by building a bench prototype. In Phase II POC will build a deployable prototype and test it on personnel beyond 35 m.