A total power radiometer (TPR) and measurement test bed for non-contact biomedical sensing applications

A Total Power Radiometer (TPR) and measurement test bed for non-contact biomedical sensing is presented as a precursor to developing a health monitoring device. The TPR is designed as a non- contact sensor for detecting thermal noise radiated from the human body, which can be related to core body temperature. Previous works have demonstrated successful results in on-body radiometric sensing applications, however when deployed as a non-contact sensor new challenges arise especially in the area of antenna design. Herein measurement data using a printed dipole antenna positioned a few cm from the measurement test bed (muscle tissue phantom) is presented. The radiometer tracked thermal variations in the phantom as the physical temperature was monitored. We have demonstrated that radiometers are capable of non-invasively tracking changes in the temperature of tissue simulating materials within the range of human temperature (T_h) in conditions of heat related disorders (T_h les 93deg,T_h les 102degF).