I’m part of a small initiative called Waveproof that is exploring technologies that help individuals better understand the wireless sensing environment around them.
We are interested in developing a passive detector that can alert users to the presence of nearby mmWave radar activity without decoding or interpreting the radar communications themselves. The motivation is to increase transparency around emerging sensing technologies, especially in environments where people may have concerns about privacy.
Our initial goals are:
- Detect the presence of mmWave radar energy.
- Preferably cover frequencies from 24 GHz to 90 GHz.
- Distinguish radar signals from unrelated RF sources as much as practical.
- Avoid decoding, demodulating, or interpreting communications or telemetry data.
- Keep the device compact, portable, and affordable.
We have explored several approaches, including:
- Broadband RF front ends.
- mmWave detector diodes.
- Repurposed radar receiver ICs/modules.
- Detection based on characteristic radar waveforms rather than simple RF power measurements.
At this stage, we are looking for advice and potential collaborators who have experience with:
- mmWave RF front-end design.
- Radar signal detection and classification.
- Low-cost broadband receivers.
- Passive sensing architectures.
- Compact antenna and detector design.
Has anyone in this community worked on a similar problem or have suggestions on architectures, components, or research that could help?
Any feedback or pointers would be greatly appreciated.