MSGID: 1:317/3 649fabec   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    The device that can remotely and accurately monitor breathing: Tested on   
   cane toads    
      
     Date:   
         June 30, 2023   
     Source:   
         University of Sydney   
     Summary:   
         Scientists have accurately monitored the breathing patterns   
         of cane toads in a proof of principle to develop contactless   
         vital-sign monitoring for humans in a range of settings such as   
         intensive care units, aged-care facilities, for at-risk prisoners,   
         or domestic use to monitor people with sleep apnea or infants at   
         risk of breathing difficulties.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
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   Constant monitoring of vital health signs is needed in a variety of   
   clinical environments such as intensive care units, for patients with   
   critical health conditions, health monitoring in aged care facilities   
   and prisons, or in safety monitoring situations where drowsiness can   
   cause accidents.   
      
   This is now mostly achieved via wired or invasive contact   
   systems. However, these are either inconvenient or, for patients with   
   burns or for infants with insufficient skin area, are unsuitable.   
      
   Scientists at the University of Sydney Nano Institute and the NSW Smart   
   Sensing Network have now developed a photonic radar system that allows   
   for highly precise, non-invasive monitoring.   
      
   The research is published today in Nature Photonics.   
      
   Using their newly developed and patented radar system, the researchers   
   monitored cane toads and were able accurately to detect pauses in   
   breathing patterns remotely. The system was also used on devices that   
   simulate human breathing.   
      
   The scientists say this demonstrates a proof of principle for using   
   photonic radar that could enable the vital-sign monitoring of multiple   
   patients from a single, centralised station.   
      
   The University of Sydney Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) and lead for this   
   research Professor Ben Eggleton said: "Our guiding principle here is to   
   overcome comfort and privacy issues, while delivering highly accurate   
   vital sign monitoring."  An advantage to this approach is the ability   
   to detect vital signs from a distance, eliminating the need for physical   
   contact with patients. This not only enhances patient comfort but reduces   
   the risk of cross-contamination, making it valuable in settings where   
   infection control is crucial.   
      
   "Photonic radar uses a light-based, photonics system -- rather than   
   traditional electronics -- to generate, collect and process the radar   
   signals. This approach allows for very wideband generation of radio   
   frequency (RF) signals, offering highly precise and simultaneous,   
   multiple tracking of subjects," said lead author Ziqian Zhang, a PhD   
   student in the School of Physics.   
      
   "Our system combined this approach with LiDAR -- light detection and   
   ranging.   
      
   This hybrid approach delivered a vital sign detection system with a   
   resolution down to six millimetres with micrometre-level accuracy. This is   
   suitable for clinical environments."  Alternate approaches to non-contact   
   monitoring have typically relied on optical sensors, using infrared and   
   visible wavelength cameras.   
      
   "Camera-based systems have two problems. One is high sensitivity to   
   variations in lighting conditions and skin colour. The other is with   
   patient privacy, with high-resolution images of patients being recorded   
   and stored in cloud computing infrastructure," said Professor Eggleton   
   who is also the co-Director of the NSW Smart Sensing Network.   
      
   Radio frequency (RF) detection technology can remotely monitor vital   
   signs without the need for visual recording, providing built-in privacy   
   protection.   
      
   Signal analysis, including identification of health signatures, can be   
   performed with no requirement for cloud storage of information.   
      
   Co-author Dr Yang Liu, a former PhD student in Professor Eggleton's   
   team, now based at EPFL in Switzerland, said: "A real innovation in our   
   approach is complementarity: our demonstrated system has the capability   
   to simultaneously enable radar and LiDAR detection. This has inbuilt   
   redundancy; if either system encounters a fault, the other continues   
   to function."  Conventional RF radar systems, which rely entirely on   
   electronics, have narrow RF bandwidth and therefore have lower-range   
   resolution. This means they cannot separate closely located targets or   
   distinguish them in a cluttered environment.   
      
   Relying solely on LiDAR, which uses much shorter light wavelengths,   
   provides improved range and resolution, but has limited penetration   
   abilities through objects such as clothes.   
      
   "Our proposed system maximises the utility of both approaches through   
   integrating the photonic and radio frequency technologies," Mr Zhang said.   
      
   Working with collaborators and partners in the NSW Smart Sensing Network,   
   the researchers hope this research provides a platform to develop a   
   cost-effective, high-resolution and rapid-response vital sign monitoring   
   system with application in hospitals and corrective services.   
      
   "A next step is to miniaturise the system and integrate it into photonic   
   chips that could be used in handheld devices," Mr Zhang said.   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Sydney. Note: Content   
   may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Ziqian Zhang, Yang Liu, Tegan Stephens, Benjamin   
      J. Eggleton. Photonic   
         radar for contactless vital sign detection. Nature Photonics,   
         2023; DOI: 10.1038/s41566-023-01245-6   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230630123227.htm   
      
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