Development of Non-contact Physiological Motion Sensor on CMOS Chip and Its Potential Applications

This paper reviews the development of non-contact physiological motion sensor chips. The first chip was developed at Bell Labs during 2000-2002. The research that led to this first demonstration is described. Since then, several different approaches have been taken to improve the performance and to explore potential military and commercial applications. The non-contact sensor chips that can detect physiological motions of humans and animals from a distance away will find a variety of applications including healthcare, security, emergency response, etc. A few examples of applications and their potential impacts to our society are discussed.