Although images and video material are increasingly available in the aftermath of flooding, earthquakes, terror attacks and in other emergency situations, this is usually of little value to rescue workers, as it doesn't help them determine the best course of action. BFH is developing a system designed to remedy this shortcoming and provide valuable support for police, fire and counter-terrorism operations. The Swiss researchers say it can even detect breathing and a heartbeat under the right conditions.

The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich recently developed a prototype of a system that can detect a person's movements through walls by evaluating changes to propagation conditions through multipath reception of a sinusoidal test signal. The technology interested armasuisse Wissenschaft und Technologie enough to commission researchers at BFH to analyze, optimize and miniaturize the ETH's prototype.

The versatile system that BFH is now engineering boasts compact dimensions, universal connectivity options and high levels of flexibility in terms of defining signals and the associated evaluation options, thus unleashing huge potential for future development opportunities.

Bern University of Applied Sciences - Research Institute for Security in the Information Society RISIS (2501 Biel, Switzerland)
Website: https://www.ti.bfh.ch/en.html