mmWave Radar Engineer for Human Presence & Respiratory Micro-Motion Feasibility Study

Project Overview We are looking for an experienced mmWave radar / radar signal processing engineer to conduct a Phase-0 feasibility study for single-person presence detection and respiratory micro-motion sensing in indoor residential environments. This is an experimental data-acquisition and feasibility-validation project, not a full product development project and not a medical-device project. The main objective is to determine whether a suitable mmWave radar platform can reliably acquire and analyze radar data for: Single-person presence detection, including a stationary person Respiratory micro-motion observation while the subject is relatively still Different distances and body orientations, including sitting and lying positions Indoor environmental interference Bathroom / shower conditions, including water flow, wet surfaces, humidity, shower operation, ventilation fan and common bathroom obstructions Bathroom / Shower Testing Bathroom testing is an important part of this project. We would like to compare conditions such as a dry bathroom baseline, shower running without a person, a person present during shower operation, and a person remaining relatively stationary after or during shower activity where safely and technically practical. The study should also investigate the influence of water flow, wet walls or glass, shower curtain/glass partition, ventilation fan and environmental motion on radar presence and micro-motion signals. All testing must follow appropriate electrical and personal safety practices. The radar hardware does not need to be located inside an unsafe wet zone. Technical Scope The engineer should recommend an appropriate mmWave radar platform capable of providing sufficiently detailed radar information for this study. Access to raw or near-raw data such as I/Q, phase information, range-bin time series, Range FFT or equivalent intermediate radar data is strongly preferred. We are particularly interested in determining whether respiratory movement can be observed through phase or micro-displacement changes and separated from normal environmental noise. The study should include suitable signal-processing techniques such as range-bin selection, phase processing/unwrapping where appropriate, filtering, FFT/spectral analysis and time-series visualization. We are not asking for medical-grade respiratory-rate accuracy at this stage. The purpose is first to establish whether a repeatable respiratory-related periodic signal can be observed under defined conditions. Expected Deliverables Recommended radar hardware/platform and proposed test configuration. Written Phase-0 test plan before experimental testing begins. Raw or lowest-practical-level radar datasets from the agreed test scenarios. Clearly labeled metadata for each test, including distance, orientation, posture, environment and radar configuration. MATLAB and/or Python analysis scripts with source code. Representative plots such as range/time, phase/time, frequency spectrum and other useful signal-processing outputs. Results for stationary-person presence detection. Results showing whether respiratory micro-motion can be observed and under what conditions. Bathroom/shower interference test results and failure-mode observations. Final feasibility report explaining what works, what does not work, limitations, interference sources and recommendations for a possible next phase. Out of Scope for Phase-0 Multi-person tracking, identity recognition, fall classification, full-body posture recognition, production hardware design, mobile application development, cloud services, medical certification and a finished commercial product are not required. Preferred Experience Strong practical experience in mmWave/FMCW radar, radar signal processing, RF sensing, MATLAB/Python and human presence or vital-sign/micro-motion sensing is preferred. Experience with platforms from Texas Instruments, Infineon or other mmWave radar vendors is welcome, but we are open to the engineer recommending the most appropriate hardware. When Applying Please briefly describe your previous radar projects and answer the following: What radar platform would you recommend for this experiment, and why? What level of raw/intermediate radar data can you access from that platform? Have you previously worked with phase-based respiration, heartbeat, vibration or other micro-motion sensing? How would you distinguish respiratory micro-motion from environmental interference? How would you design the bathroom/shower interference tests? Do you already have suitable radar hardware and laboratory/test equipment? Please identify any hardware or testing costs that are not included in your proposal. Expected project duration is approximately 4–6 weeks. We value measured data, reproducible experiments and clear evidence more than a polished demonstration. A negative feasibility result is acceptable if it is supported by proper testing and technical evidence.