Current Project (2026-2027)
Research Team: Timothy Constandinou, Alan Bannon, Maowen Yin, Charalambos Hadjipanayi, Ziwei Chen
Project Partners: UK Dementia Research Institute Care Research & Technology Centre, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, MinderCare clinical monitoring team
Funding: UK Dementia Research Institute Translation Award Programme
About MinderCare
MinderCare is an NHS-linked remote monitoring service for people living with dementia, developed by the UK Dementia Research Institute in collaboration with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. The service is built on Minder, a digital home monitoring platform that uses discreet, privacy-preserving sensors in the home to track daily routines, movement, sleep, and physiological signals, with data analytics used to identify changes that may indicate emerging health or care needs.
In MinderCare, data from the home is securely transmitted to a specialist clinical monitoring team, including doctors and nurses, who review the information to identify early signs of health changes and provide timely support. MinderCare builds on more than a decade of research into digital home monitoring and is designed to improve quality of life, support carers, and reduce avoidable hospital admissions for people living with dementia.
MinderCare Radar
MinderCare Radar builds on the existing MinderCare service by introducing a novel contactless radar sensor designed to provide continuous physiological and behavioural monitoring without requiring wearable devices or active user engagement. This project forms part of the UK DRI Translation Award Programme and represents a critical step in moving radar sensing from laboratory research into real-world dementia care.
Our mission: We aim to translate advanced radar sensing into practical, deployable care technology for people living with dementia. This project will demonstrate that contactless radar monitoring can operate reliably in real home environments, deliver clinically meaningful health information, and remain unobtrusive and acceptable for individuals and their carers. By embedding radar within the established MinderCare service, we seek to strengthen remote monitoring with richer physiological insight while maintaining privacy, ease of use, and seamless integration into existing clinical workflows. Through this work, we will generate the technical, clinical, and human-factors evidence required to support larger-scale deployment and future NHS adoption of radar-based monitoring in home-based dementia care.
MinderCare Radar builds directly on our broader research in radar sensing for health monitoring.
Clinical Need and Patient Impact
People living with dementia are at high risk of avoidable hospital admissions, often linked to infections, sleep disruption, or reduced mobility. Many existing monitoring tools rely on wearable or contact-based sensors, which can be difficult or unsuitable for people with cognitive impairment.
MinderCare Radar introduces a zero-burden, contactless approach. A wall-mounted radar sensor can continuously monitor heart rate, respiration, sleep, and movement without requiring charging, setup, or user interaction. By strengthening the existing MinderCare service with richer physiological information, the project aims to support earlier detection of health changes, reduce hospital admissions, and provide the evidence needed for future NHS adoption of radar-based home monitoring.
Project Approach
This project delivers the first real-world home validation of the UK DRI radar system within the existing MinderCare service. Radar devices will be installed in 30 homes of people already enrolled in MinderCare, with each home contributing approximately six months of continuous monitoring. Installation and support are provided by the clinical MinderCare team.
Radar data will be securely integrated into the established MinderCare data infrastructure. Physiological and movement-related measures derived from radar will be evaluated against data from in-home Withings Sleep Analyzers, clinically recorded health events such as infections, and existing MinderCare monitoring outputs. Radar-derived features will also be incorporated into MinderCare’s infection detection algorithms to assess whether earlier signs of health deterioration can be identified.
Through this work, the project will demonstrate that the integrated radar monitoring system can operate reliably in a relevant clinical environment, advancing the technology to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6–7 and supporting progression toward larger-scale clinical deployment.
Acceptability and Co-Design
Ensuring the technology is acceptable, trusted, and non-intrusive is a central part of the project. The study includes structured feedback from people living with dementia, carers, and clinical staff, alongside user acceptability questionnaires and human factors evaluation.
These activities help ensure the system fits naturally into home environments and care routines, and that it aligns with the needs and expectations of both families and healthcare professionals.