Researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab have developed software that uses variations in Wi-Fi signals to recognize human silhouettes through walls. The researchers built a device, called RF-Capture, that transmits wireless signals and then analyzes the reflections of those signals to piece together a human form, according to a study published this morning.
The technology is an extension of something the MIT team has been working on for a few years. In 2013, they used similar radio frequency technology to detect motion on the other side of a wall or obstruction, Gizmodo reports. Now, the RF-Capture is sophisticated enough to determine subtle differences in body shapes, and, with 90 percent accuracy, distinguish between 15 different people through a wall. It can even determine a person’s breathing patterns and heart rate.
