This paper presents the implementation of two easy-to-implement methods for radar imaging with a radar system on a linear drive for educational purposes. This method is a so-called synthetic aperture radar (SAR) approach which is commonly used in the space and aeronautical earth observation. In this paper the two methods are compared with each other and drawbacks and advantages are discussed.

A radar working in the 24 GHz ISM-band in a frequency modulated continuous wave mode has been used for vital sign monitoring of the heart beat and the breathing rate. The observation is hereby contactless with the patient sitting straight up in a distance of 1–2 m to the radar. A mathematical method to calculate the heart beat and breathing rate is presented. The results are compared with classical ECG measurement equipment.

This paper evaluates a method for reconstructing the phase and amplitude of superimposed signals with a frequency separation smaller than the DTFT frequency resolution would allow to differentiate.

In this paper two different antenna topologies for improving the heart beat and breathing detection of people in their homes is shown. A radar system including these antennas for imaging with digital beamforming algorithms has been developed and presented. Measurements are executed and given in this paper with a conclusion.

One of the most important signs of a living body demonstrating its life-sustaining functions is the respiration rate. State of the art for measuring this vital sign is using a monitoring system cable connected to electrodes which are attached to the patients' skin. Especially in the case of newborn infants this method is not always suitable and causing several problems, like skin injuries, high stress levels and random loosening of the sensor. To avoid these a non-contact system is developed.