Abstract
Airborne radar carried on board unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is serving as the harbinger of new remote sensing applications for security and rescue in inclement environments. The mobility and agility of UAVs, along with intelligent onboard sensors (cameras, acoustics, and radar), are more effective during the early stages of disaster response. The ability of radars to penetrate through objects and operate in low-visibility conditions enables the detection of occluded human subjects on and under debris when other sensing modalities fail. Recently, radars have been deployed on UAVs to measure minute human physiological parameters, such as respiratory and heart rates while sensing through clothing and building materials. Signal processing techniques are critical in enabling UAV-borne radars for human vital sign detection (VSD) in multiple operation modes. UAV radar interferometry provides valuable VSD in both hovering and flying motions. In the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) configuration, UAV-based VSD is available at a high spatial resolution. Novel radar configurations, such as in through-material sensing, UAV swarm, and tethered UAVs, are required to penetrate obstacles, facilitate multitasking, and allow for high endurance, respectively. This article provides an overview of the recent advances in UAV-borne VSD, with a focus on the deployment modes and processing methods.
Highlights
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), referred to as drones, are emerging as valuable tools for surveillance, medical assistance, consumer goods delivery, and policing [1]
The performance of searchand-rescue operations (SROs) UAVs is significantly improved by equipping them with intelligent sensors that are powered by computer vision and machine learning techniques
We focus on radar-based vital sign detection (VSD) from UAV platforms
Summary
UAVs, referred to as drones, are emerging as valuable tools for surveillance, medical assistance, consumer goods delivery, and policing [1]. Smaller wavelengths (or higher frequencies) yield better phase sensitivity but do so at the cost of shorter sensing distances and lower-penetration capability This system design tradeoff must be considered when employing UAV radars for VSD. Stand-alone, small-scale radars have been available for measuring the breathing and heart rates of humans based on the Doppler effect since the 1970s This was followed by advancements in signal processing techniques, hardware, and antenna designs that enabled radar as a potential noncontact remote sensing technology for health monitoring. Platform Motion Compensation Drone-based sensing systems should be able to handle motion noise during flight and still provide precise measurements for applications like aerial surveying, radar imaging, and human physiological signal measurements. Vital-SAR Imaging In the SAR mode, the radar employs an antenna array on the drone to image the targets through several measurements while the flight’s movement continues
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