Importance of Antenna Array Positions in Classification of Microwave Bladder Fullness

Microwave-based detection of the full bladder may provide a non-invasive, low-cost strategy for supporting individuals with various types of urinary incontinence, including children undergoing toilet training, the elderly in care homes, and individuals with spinal cord injuries. In this work, we use a highly realistic model of the pelvic region with wearable antennas adhered to the skin. We investigate for the first time the impact of the number of antenna elements in a sensing array and their relative locations on the classification accuracy of detecting a full bladder.

I. Introduction

Microwave sensing of the bladder state may provide a promising strategy for supporting individuals with urinary incontinence, thanks to the relatively low-cost, safe nature of microwave monitoring (enabling regular and frequent measurements), and the potential for wearable sensing. Specifically, microwave bladder fullness detection could be used to proactively provide the user with the information that the bladder is approaching full, giving them the awareness that a void is needed and the time to act on it.