In this letter, a microwave imaging strategy based on an artificial neural network (ANN) is applied, for the first time, to experimental data gathered from simplified neck phantoms. The ANN is used for solving the underlying inverse scattering problem, with the aim of retrieving the dielectric properties of the neck for monitoring and diagnostic purposes. The ANN is trained using simulated phantoms, to overcome the limited availability of experimental data. First, a simple configuration with a liquid-filled glass beaker is tested. Then, simplified 3-D-printed models of the human neck are considered. The preliminary findings indicate the possibility of training the network with numerical simulations and testing it against experimental measurements.

中文翻译：

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用于颈部诊断的基于 ANN 的微波成像技术的初步实验测试

在这封信中，首次将基于人工神经网络 (ANN) 的微波成像策略应用于从简化的颈部模型收集的实验数据。人工神经网络用于解决潜在的逆散射问题，目的是检索颈部的介电特性以用于监测和诊断目的。ANN 使用模拟模型进行训练，以克服实验数据的有限可用性。首先，测试了一个简单的配置，其中装有一个装满液体的玻璃烧杯。然后，考虑了人体颈部的简化 3D 打印模型。初步发现表明可以通过数值模拟训练网络并根据实验测量对其进行测试。