Using At-Home AI to Monitor Cardiovascular Health

Cardiovascular disease remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Current diagnosis techniques consist of multiple tests and evaluations to identify heart conditions. These extensive, and sometimes invasive, medical procedures often take place in a hospital setting, which can prevent many patients from receiving the care they need. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are leveraging artificial intelligence to use smart-home devices that can produce a full-body blood-flow heatmap contactlessly, ultimately helping to diagnose and monitor cardiovascular conditions.

Kuang Yuan and Jiangyifei Zhu, both current Ph.D. students in Carnegie Mellon’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, have received the 2025 Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship for their paper, “Contactless Cardiovascular Health Monitoring using AI-enabled mmWave Radars.” 

Tiny pulses on the skin surface, generated by the heart pumping, occur throughout the entire body. By leveraging the subtle reflections from a mmWave radar, Yuan and Zhu can not only measure the pulse displacement but also determine each pulse’s arrival time, revealing its propagation speed. This transmission information serves as a key indicator of arterial stiffness, which is highly correlated with blood pressure and is a known risk factor for cardiovascular conditions, including hypertension, stroke, and coronary artery disease, as well as Alzheimer’s disease.

“We have already obtained preliminary results, and our Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship proposal aims to make this system practical for long-term, everyday use,” says Zhu. 

Every year, Qualcomm selects a limited number of researchers to receive their Innovation Fellowship, an award that promotes the company’s core values of innovation, execution, and teamwork. The 2025 cohort was one of the most competitive in the award’s history, with just a 6% acceptance rate (17 of 266 teams).

“Since its inception, only a handful of mobile health projects have received this award. To the best of my knowledge, out of 185 total winners since 2009, only around five are in biomedical or mobile health–adjacent areas,” says Justin Chan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and computer science and co-advisor to Zhu. “We are very grateful for Qualcomm's support of AI-enabled mobile health technologies. There is a pressing need for more health monitoring technologies particularly outside the clinic. We hope this recognition encourages continued research and interest at the intersection of health and computing to address real-world gaps in healthcare delivery.”

Inspiration for this research is personal to Zhu. 

“Health is life's most precious gift—a truth that resonates profoundly with me, especially at this stage of my life. Witnessing my beloved grandparents grow older and more fragile has deeply touched my heart, making me acutely aware of how invaluable our health truly is,” says Zhu.

The duo has always been fascinated by wireless and mobile technologies. These technologies are ubiquitous, seamlessly integrated into our daily lives, and they hold immense potential to positively impact our well-being. Recognizing that cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of death worldwide, Yuan and Zhu are strongly motivated to leverage their technological expertise and passion for health to develop innovative ways to monitor, manage, and alert individuals to the progression of this disease—ultimately helping people lead healthier lives.

“Deep within my soul, I feel the most meaningful work I can do is research that protects and nurtures people's health, granting all of us more cherished moments together in the future,” says Zhu. 

Kuang Yuan is advised by Swarun Kumar, the Sathaye Family Foundation Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Jiangyifei Zhu is co-advised by Justin Chan and Swarun Kumar.