A microwave method to remotely assess the abdominal fat thickness

Abstract

We introduce a method to measure the fat thickness by harnessing the physics of destructive interference. At certain frequencies, when the fat thickness equals a quarter wavelength, the amplitude of the reflected wave is minimized due to the destructive interference. Therefore, by observing the frequency where the reflection is minimized, we are able to deduce the fat thickness. This work demonstrates that this simple method can operate not only on a planar tissue model but also on a cylindrical model as well as the Zubal human phantom model. Finally, we experimentally demonstrate the estimation of the fat thickness for the planar tissue model with a broadband antenna. This method for assessing one’s abdominal fatness can allow continuous self-monitoring due to its low cost and simple measurement procedure.