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.

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.

The increasing availability of off-the-shelf high frequency components makes radar measurement become popular in mainstream industrial applications. We present a cooperative radar for strongly reflective environments, being devised for a range of up to approx. 120 m. The target is designed with an unambiguous signature method. A prototype is built with commercial semiconductor components that operates in the 24 GHz band. First experimental results taken in sewage pipes are presented.