This Radar Sensor Monitors Muscles Through the Skin
For decades, accurately measuring the forces generated by individual muscles has required invasive techniques or indirect estimation methods that often leave researchers making educated guesses. A team at the University of Queensland may have found a much better solution, developing a noninvasive radar-based sensor capable of measuring muscle forces through the skin with high levels of accuracy.
How the tech works
The team’s approach uses ultra-wideband (UWB) radar sensors that sit on the surface of the skin and emit low-power electromagnetic pulses into the underlying muscle. As the muscle contracts, its electromagnetic properties change, subtly altering the transmitted and reflected radar signals. By analyzing those changes, the researchers were able to estimate muscle force without needles, implanted sensors, or other invasive procedures.
The team tested the technology on muscles with different structures, including the vastus lateralis in the thigh and the tibialis anterior in the lower leg. The system successfully...
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