Abstract
Simple SummaryIn this paper, we presented a new non-contact method to measure the vital signs of at-rest pets, where the ultra-wideband radar was applied for previously unachievable sensing ability and testing convenience. The proposed scheme did not interfere with the daily rhythm of the pet being tested; most subjects would not even notice the ongoing real-time monitoring due to the larger measurement coverage of the radar sensor. Through this work, we provided an innovative tool to promote not only the measurement of pet vital signs but also the improvement of animal welfare to prevent invasive, dangerous, and unacceptable contact measurement techniques, such as anesthesia, hair removal, and surgical implants. In addition, the proposed method could realize the daily vital signs measurement and sleep monitoring of dogs and cats, which is important for the diagnosis and timely treatment of pet diseases.As pets are considered members of the family, their health has received widespread attention. Since pets cannot talk and complain when they feel uncomfortable, monitoring vital signs becomes very helpful in disease detection, as well as observing their progression and response to treatment. In this study, we proposed an ultra-wideband radar-based, non-contact animal vital sign monitoring scheme that could monitor the breathing and heart rate of a pet in real-time. The primary advantage of the ultra-wideband radar was its ability to operate remotely without electrodes or wires and through any clothing or fur. Because of the existing noise and clutter in non-contact detection, background noise removal was applied. Furthermore, the respiration rate was directly obtained through spectrum analysis, while the heartbeat signal was extracted by the variational mode decomposition algorithm. By using electrocardiogram measurements, we verified the accuracy of the radar technology in detecting the anesthetized animals’ respiratory rate and heart rate. Besides, three beagles and five cats in a non-sedated state were measured by radar and contact pressure sensors simultaneously; the experimental results showed that radar could effectively measure the respiration of cats and dogs, and the accuracy rate was over 95%. Due to its excellent performance, the proposed method has the potential to become a new choice in application scenarios, such as pet sleep monitoring and health assessment.
Highlights
As the most popular pets in society, cats and dogs are often regarded as family members, and as such, their health has attracted widespread attention
The target could be located by calculating the energy at different distances
We demonstrated a novel non-contact method to measure the vital signs of small cats and dogs
Summary
As the most popular pets in society, cats and dogs are often regarded as family members, and as such, their health has attracted widespread attention. A significant increase or decrease in the respiration or heart rate of the dog may be a sign of a major illness, such as dehydration, heart disease, fever, or shock. The contact sensor is a common solution for measuring vital signs of animals with body coverings, which often involves complex and invasive preparation procedures while causing significant distress to the animals [6]. Sometimes, they would be anesthetized or severely restricted to prevent movement that can damage the measurement setup [7,8]. A collar for pet animals is another popular measurement method, which measures the vital signs through sensors that come into contact with the body of the animal [13,14]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
