In-Vehicle Monitoring by Radar: A Review

The proliferation of vehicles and subsequent increase in traffic accidents has led to a heightened focus on driving safety. As a result, various researchers have been examining ways to enhance driving safety in daily life by implementing smart car technology. In-vehicle sensing utilizing radar technology has emerged as a leading method for monitoring the driver’s health, emotions, and attention, owing to its numerous advantages over traditional sensors, including the ability to detect subjects through non-metallic surfaces and the inherent privacy-preserving mechanisms. In recent years, in-vehicle sensing through radar has undergone significant advancements. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive survey of the applications, system level design, and signal processing of in-vehicle sensing through radar. The published works in this field are categorized into three main groups: occupancy detection, gesture recognition and occupant status monitoring. The paper will discuss the highlighted works and their respective advantages and limitations in terms of applications.