Electromagnetic Imaging for Breathing Monitoring

Abstract

The search for new non-invasive methods of investigating the functioning of human internal organs is an urgent task. One of these methods for assessing the functioning of the human respiratory system is electromagnetic sensing, which is based on a significant difference in the dielectric permittivity of muscle tissue and air. During breathing, when the lungs are filled with air, the dielectric permittivity of the lungs decreases, which leads to a change in the level of the electromagnetic signal passing through the body. The results of experiments on recording changes in the level of electromagnetic radiation passing through the human body performed on an experimental device consisting of eight transmitting and receiving antennas located on opposite sides of the chest have been presented in the article. The possibility of visualizing the measured “pulmonograms” in the form of dynamic two-dimensional images showing the process of filling various parts of the lungs with air has been demonstrated.