Air-Coupled Ultrasound Systems for Biomedical Applications: Advances in Sensors, Electronic Interfaces and Signal...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Robotics
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Air-coupled ultrasound (ACU) is an emerging non-contact sensing technology.
• ACU has applications in contactless physiological monitoring and robotic perception.
• Recent advances enhance ultrasonic sensor characteristics and signal processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review low-frequency ACU systems for biomedical and robotic applications.
• To focus on sensor technologies, electronic interfaces, and system architectures.
• To highlight advancements enabling non-contact sensing.

Main Methods:

• Review of sensor technologies and electronic interfaces for ACU.
• Analysis of system architectures for low-frequency ACU.
• Discussion of AI-assisted signal processing for low SNR conditions.

Main Results:

• Enhanced ultrasonic sensor characteristics (bandwidth, directivity, intensity).
• Improved ACU performance in low signal-to-noise (SNR) conditions.
• Progress in front-end electronics and AI-assisted analysis.

Conclusions:

• ACU is a versatile non-contact sensing modality.
• Technological advancements are expanding ACU capabilities in healthcare and robotics.
• Focus on low-frequency systems and enabling architectures is key for future applications.