Wi-Fi Signals See Through Walls

Researchers have developed a sensor that sends radio signals through a wall and can identify the shapes of people who are on the other side.

17:13 02 November 2015

MIT computer science researchers have introduced a technology that could be used to protect the elderly. They developed a sensor that sends radio signals through a wall and can identify the shapes of people who are on the other side.

 

The researchers plan to commercialise the technology in 2016 and said that it could be used to determine whether an older person has had a fall in their home.

 

MIT professor Dina Katabi said: "We're working to turn this technology into an in-home device that can call 911 if it detects that a family member has fallen unconscious.

 

"You could also imagine it being used to operate your lights and TVs, or to adjust your heating by monitoring where you are in the house."

 

The technology monitors the radio signals as they bounce back off a person and then stitch these signals together to create an identifiable silhouette. The system can identify between five people with 95.7per cent accuracy and 15 people with 88.2per cent accuracy.

 

The team said that the technology could be improved so that it can see through multiple walls and see as far as 12m away.