In a new study, Patwari showed a network of 20 wirelesstransceivers placed around a hospital bed could reliably detect breathing and estimate breathing rate to within two-fifths of a breath per minute based on 30 seconds of data.
While he estimates it will be five years until such a product is on the market, Patwari says a network of wirelesstransceivers around a bed can measure breathing rates and alert someone if breathing stops without any tubes or wires connected to the patient.
Because the technique uses off-the-shelf wirelesstransceivers similar to those used in home computer networks, "the cost of this system will be cheaper than existing methods of monitoring breathing, " says Neal Patwari, senior author of a study of the new method and an assistant professor of electrical engineering.