A system includes an ultra-wideband (UWB) array having a transmitter that transmits electromagnetic waves as UWB pulses toward a region-of-interest (ROI), and having a receiver that receives reflected electromagnetic waves from objects in the ROI and generates object data, and a pattern recognition device having a processor configured to provide operations. The processor is configured to provide instructions that obtain scanning data from reflected electromagnetic waves from the ROI until an event is triggered, when the event is triggered, access a heuristic created from calibration data that was previously obtained using the ROI and using the UWB array, analyze the scanning data with the heuristic utilizing a pattern recognition function derived from the calibration data, to determine whether an object-of-interest (OOI) pattern is recognized within the scanning data, and if an OOI pattern is recognized, generate an alert.