University of Utah engineers who built wireless networks that see through walls now are aiming the technology at a new goal: noninvasively measuring the breathing of surgery patients, adults with sleep apnea and babies at risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Neal Patwari, senior author of a study of the new method and an assistant professor of electrical engineering, says a network of wireless transceivers around a bed can measure breathing rates and alert someone if breathing stops without any tubes or wires connected to the patient.
“We can use this to increase the safety of people who are under sedation after surgery by knowing if they stop breathing,” he says. “We also envision a product that parents put around their baby’s crib to alert them if the baby stops breathing. It might be useful for babies at risk of SIDS.”
Wireless technology has become pervasive, from wireless phones to wireless networks linking home computers. In 2009, Patwari and then-graduate student Joey Wilson showed how a couple dozen wireless transceivers – devices that transmit and receive radio signals – could be used to literally see through walls to detect the location of a burglar, people trapped by a fire, or hostages held captive inside a building.
They formed a University of Utah spinoff company, Xandem Technology LLC, which is commercializing the wireless networks for use as motion detectors for burglar alarm systems, to help police locate hostages, and even to alert out-of-town, vacationing parents if a crowd of teenagers is partying at their home during their absence.
Patwari’s new study points out pros and cons of adding wireless detection of breathing to the motion-detecting capability.
“A search and rescue team may arrive at a collapsed building and throw transceivers into the rubble, hoping to detect the breathing of anyone still alive inside,” Patwari and colleagues write. “Police or SWAT teams may deploy a network around a building to determine if people are inside.”
Also: A NASA professional explains how to monitor someone's breath to determine his or her health.
