Windows aren’t the only way to see through walls anymore.
Researchers led by Dina Katabi at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory have come up with some new technology that can go full Superman and see through walls to determine whether you are walking, sitting, or standing still staring at your phone. It can even trace a person’s handwriting in air—from behind a wall.
The original technology is called RF Capture. According to MIT’s website, it transmits wireless signals through the wall at a transmission rate that is 10,000 times lower than that of a standard cellphone. Then it reconstructs a human figure by analyzing the signals’ reflections as they bounce off bodies. No word yet on whether Krytonite can repel it.
The latest iteration of the X-ray tech is “RF-Pose,” and it harnesses the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to teach wireless devices to sense people’s postures and movement, even though there is a wall separating the neural network from the human striking a pose.
After analyzing the radio signals, the neural network can then create a slightly goofy looking “dynamic stick figure” that mirrors what the person behind the wall is doing. It’s cool, but also creepy as hell. While the team created the technology to help the elderly and the ailing (it could be used to monitor diseases like Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis and provide a better understanding of disease progression), it’s easy to think that the police and military will also have a few ideas as to how to use this technology.
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.
