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From your breath to your footsteps , there is an invisible guardian in your home.
More than a decade ago, Neil Patwari conducted an unusual experiment while lying in a hospital bed. 20 radio transmitters were placed around him, and he carefully controlled his breathing. As his chest rose and fell, the electromagnetic waves from the transmitters created ripples around him. By analyzing these fluctuations, Patwari, who is now a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, demonstrated that this way you can determine the nature of a person's breathing.
The experiment was conducted more than 10 years ago, but it still remains a unique example of using radio waves to monitor vital functions of the human body. This technology opens up new perspectives in the field of contactless diagnostics and can be used to monitor the condition of patients or astronauts.
A few years after Patwari's experiment, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology went further and created a startup based on the idea of using Wi-Fi signals to detect people falling. The goal was to help older people feel more independent and safe in their homes by responding quickly to their falls.
In 2015, their prototype received a demonstration at the very center of American power - one of the developers deliberately tripped and fell right in front of President Obama in the Oval Office. This case clearly demonstrated the potential of the technology to quickly respond to critical situations and help people in danger.
Despite the initial interest of investors and developers, a commercially successful Wi-Fi-based device for breath tracking or fall detection never hit the market. Startups and companies have faced technical and competitive challenges, including a shift to other technologies and competition from big players like Google.
However, Wi-Fi sensing technology has not disappeared. It is quietly integrated into millions of homes, supported by major Internet service providers and smart device manufacturers. Improvements in algorithms and standardization of chips may soon make it an invisible observer of our daily lives, which causes both excitement and concerns about privacy.
Wi-Fi sensing can track people's presence and movements, as well as collect information about walking patterns and even breathing, without requiring special devices or wearable gadgets. This opens up new opportunities for health monitoring, smart homes, and energy conservation, but also creates the potential for surveillance without people's knowledge or consent.
Privacy and data security remain critical issues. While the technology may offer new ways to care for the elderly and improve home security, it can also be used for less benign purposes. Experts stress the need for legal and technical safeguards to ensure that the benefits of Wi-Fi sensing are not outweighed by the potential risks to privacy and security.
More than a decade ago, Neil Patwari conducted an unusual experiment while lying in a hospital bed. 20 radio transmitters were placed around him, and he carefully controlled his breathing. As his chest rose and fell, the electromagnetic waves from the transmitters created ripples around him. By analyzing these fluctuations, Patwari, who is now a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, demonstrated that this way you can determine the nature of a person's breathing.
The experiment was conducted more than 10 years ago, but it still remains a unique example of using radio waves to monitor vital functions of the human body. This technology opens up new perspectives in the field of contactless diagnostics and can be used to monitor the condition of patients or astronauts.
A few years after Patwari's experiment, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology went further and created a startup based on the idea of using Wi-Fi signals to detect people falling. The goal was to help older people feel more independent and safe in their homes by responding quickly to their falls.
In 2015, their prototype received a demonstration at the very center of American power - one of the developers deliberately tripped and fell right in front of President Obama in the Oval Office. This case clearly demonstrated the potential of the technology to quickly respond to critical situations and help people in danger.
Despite the initial interest of investors and developers, a commercially successful Wi-Fi-based device for breath tracking or fall detection never hit the market. Startups and companies have faced technical and competitive challenges, including a shift to other technologies and competition from big players like Google.
However, Wi-Fi sensing technology has not disappeared. It is quietly integrated into millions of homes, supported by major Internet service providers and smart device manufacturers. Improvements in algorithms and standardization of chips may soon make it an invisible observer of our daily lives, which causes both excitement and concerns about privacy.
Wi-Fi sensing can track people's presence and movements, as well as collect information about walking patterns and even breathing, without requiring special devices or wearable gadgets. This opens up new opportunities for health monitoring, smart homes, and energy conservation, but also creates the potential for surveillance without people's knowledge or consent.
Privacy and data security remain critical issues. While the technology may offer new ways to care for the elderly and improve home security, it can also be used for less benign purposes. Experts stress the need for legal and technical safeguards to ensure that the benefits of Wi-Fi sensing are not outweighed by the potential risks to privacy and security.
