Seminar: Microwave Reflectometric Measurement of Biological Signals

Atsushi Mase 

Art, Science and Technology Center for Cooperative Research, Kyushu University

Progress of microwave/millimeter-wave technologies has made possible advanced diagnostics for application to various fields, such as, radio astronomy, plasma diagnostics, alien substance detection, airborne and spaceborne imaging radars called as synthetic aperture radars, living body measurements, and automobile radars for collision avoidance and adaptive cruise control. Transmission, reflection, scattering, and radiation processes of electromagnetic waves are utilized as diagnostic tools which are classified to active and passive diagnostic systems. In the active system, microwave/millimeter-wave reflectometry (radar) is thought to be essential and most prospective, since it has higher perception accuracy and robustness under the conditions of rain, fog, and snow comparing to conventional technique using laser radar devices.

In this report we focus on the advances in biological measurement (living body measurement), such as, imaging for breast cancer detection and heart-rate variability for mental stress evaluation by use of Doppler radar technique and ultrashort-pulse radar technique.