DreamBoards Delivers 60GHz mmWave Radar to the Raspberry Pi with Its DreamHAT+ Radar Add-On
Python code delivers gesture sensing, motion tracking, and more, courtesy of Infineon's BGT60TR13C radar chip.
Sensor specialist Dream RF's DreamBoards subsidiary has launched a Raspberry Pi add-on that delivers 60GHz millimeter-wave (mmWave) capabilities for motion tracking, gesture recognition, and more: the DreamHAT+ Radar.
"The DreamHAT+ is our flagship radar device, bringing cutting-edge 60GHz mmWave sensing to the Raspberry Pi 4 [Model] B and 5," the company writes of its device launch. "Designed for motion tracking, gesture recognition, and proximity detection, it features directional sensing with integrated antennas for millimeter-level accuracy. Whether you're a maker, engineer, or educator, the DreamHAT+ makes advanced radar technology accessible, with plug-and-play integration, real-time data processing, and configurable sensing modes up to 15m [around 49 feet]."
Brought to our attention by Linux Gizmos, the DreamBoards DreamHAT+ Radar — the first of the company's designs to launch, to be followed by a version for Arduino microcontroller boards and compatibles dubbed the DreamShield — is based on the Infineon BGT60TR13C mmWave radar chip. In the case of the DreamHAT+ Radar this is hosted on a board designed around Raspberry Pi's Hardware Attached on Top Plus (HAT+) accessory standard, meaning compatibility with the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B and Raspberry Pi 5.
According to the official specifications, the radar HAT offers a detection range of 10cm (around 3.94") to 15m (around 49 feet) with a 40 degree horizontal and 65 degree vertical field of view and a 3cm (around 1.18") distance measurement resolution. The antennas — one for transmission and three for receive — are integrated into the radar chip and offer a 5dBi maximum gain, while the company claims a 0.5W typical power draw under active measurement.
DreamBoards says it is targeting "hobbyists looking to develop smart home applications" with the board, in addition to "professionals seeking solutions for production systems." For both, the company provides its software as an open source Python library with sample code — offering, it claims, the ability to "harness the power of radar technology without requiring specialized expertise."
More information, including a setup guide, is available on the DreamBoards website, with source code for the library available as, oddly, a ZIP archive on GitHub under an unspecified open source license. The hardware itself, meanwhile, is available to order from Pimoroni at $110.83, including mounting hardware compatible with bare Raspberry Pi boards and the Raspberry Pi 5 with Active Cooler fitted.