This is quite interesting -or frightening – WiFi radar application.
A new system by University of California, Santa Barbara researchers Yasamin Mostofi and Chitra R. Karanam uses two drones, a massive Wi-Fi antenna, and a little interpolation to literally see through solid walls.
One drone blasts Wi-Fi through the structure and another picks up the signal. The two drones fly around the solid structure to map the differences in wave strength at different points. Using this information the researchers have been able to create a 3D model of a closed building.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
No, really. You can see through walls using drones and Wi-Fi
Researchers explore 3D imaging using drones
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/06/20/drones_and_wifi_see_thru_walls/
Drones can perform three-dimensional imaging of objects through walls using Wi-Fi, a team of researchers demonstrated for the first time.
Chitra Karanam, a PhD student, and Yasamin Mostofi, a professor at the department of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara, presented their results [PDF] at the Association for Computing Machinery/Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers International Conference on Information Processing in Sensor Networks.
“Our proposed approach has enabled unmanned aerial vehicles to image details through walls in 3D with only Wi-Fi signals. This approach utilizes only Wi-Fi RSSI measurements, does not require any prior measurements in the area of interest and does not need objects to move to be imaged,” Mostofi said on Monday.
RSSI stands for received signal strength indicator. A drone beams radio waves at 2.4GHz, and another drone on the other side of the wall measures the power of the signals.
3D Through-Wall Imaging
with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Using WiFi
http://www.ece.ucsb.edu/~ymostofi/papers/IPSN17_KaranamMostofi.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Scientists Develop Technology to Create Wi-Fi Holograms
http://www.techbriefs.tv/video/Scientists-Develop-Technology-t%3bRF-Microwave-Electronics?eid=325267006&bid=1794949
Scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a holographic imaging process that depicts the radiation of a Wi-Fi transmitter to generate three-dimensional images of the surrounding environment. While optical holograms require laser technology, generating holograms with the microwave radiation of a Wi-Fi transmitter requires only one fixed and one movable antenna. The researchers envision fields of deployment especially in automated industrial facilities, in which localizing parts and devices can be difficult. Processes that allow the localization of microwave radiation, even through walls, already exist.
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘X-Ray Eyes in the Sky’ – Drones and WiFi for 3D Through-Wall Imaging
http://www.techbriefs.tv/video/X-ray-Eyes-in-the-Sky-Drones-an%3bRF-Microwave-Electronics?eid=325267006&bid=1794949
Researchers from the University of California Santa Barbara have demonstrated high-resolution, 3D through-wall imaging of completely unknown areas – using only WiFi signals and unmanned aerial vehicles. In their approach, two UAVs move autonomously outside of the area of interest, while one transmits a WiFi signal and the other one measures the received signal strength (RSSI) of the corresponding transmission, in order to image the unknown area in 3D.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Using Wi-Fi to “see” behind closed doors is easier than anyone thought
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612375/using-wi-fi-to-see-behind-closed-doors-is-easier-than-anyone-thought/
With nothing but a smartphone and some clever computation, researchers can exploit ambient signals to track individuals in their own homes.
In your home, in the office, and increasingly on city streets, humans are bathed in a constant background field of 2.4- and 5-gigahertz radio signals. And when people move, they distort this field, reflecting and refracting the waves as they go.
the new technique allows an unprecedented invasion of privacy. “Bad actors using smartphones can localize and track individuals in their home or office from outside walls, by leveraging reflections of ambient Wi-Fi transmissions,” they say.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Detecting Bombs and Weapons with WiFi
https://www.designnews.com/electronics-test/detecting-bombs-and-weapons-wifi/21821247859822?ADTRK=UBM&elq_mid=6575&elq_cid=876648
Rutgers University researchers have developed a WiFi-based system for detecting dangerous objects that is faster and less expensive than scanners seen in airports and other venues.
Tomi Engdahl says:
WiFi signals enable motion recognition throughout the entire home
https://medium.com/@radiomaze/wifi-signals-enable-motion-recognition-throughout-the-entire-home-5c4dd184627c
Home automation is on steroids. Novel technologies and techniques are enabling a plethora of new services spanning from simple lights on/off to the next generation of in house behavioural analytics.
Radiomaze computer scientists have developed motion-recognition technologies that bring this to real life using the entire WiFi ecosystem already in every house. They have shown that it is possible to leverage WiFi signals around us to detect specific movements without needing sensors on the human body or cameras.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Your WiFi Signals Are Revealing Your Location
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/your-wifi-signals-are-revealing-your-location/
The home may be the hearth, but it’s not going to be a place of safety for too long.
With the abundance of connected devices making their ways into our homes, increasing levels of data may allow for more accurate methods for remote surveillance. By measuring the strength of ambient signals emitted from devices, a site can be remotely monitored for movement. That is to say, WiFi signals may soon pose a physical security vulnerability.
In a study from the University of Chicago and the University of California, Santa Barbara, researchers built on earlier studies where they could use similar techniques to “see through walls” to demonstrate a proof-of-concept for passive listening.
Et Tu Alexa? When Commodity WiFi Devices Turn into Adversarial Motion Sensors
https://arxiv.org/abs/1810.10109
Tomi Engdahl says:
Do You See What I’m Saying?
Millimeter-wave radio signals recognize sign language to bring home assistants to the deaf and hard-of-hearing.
https://www.hackster.io/news/do-you-see-what-i-m-saying-40624ff8c90a
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wi-Fi devices set to become object sensors by 2024 under planned 802.11bf standard
Security and privacy still left to fix, preferably before launch
https://www.theregister.com/2021/03/31/wifi_devices_monitoring/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/12356-radio-nakee-seinan-lapi
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wi-Fi Sensing: The Next Big Wireless Movement
Jan. 18, 2022
Wi-Fi can do more than just communication—it has the power to improve our lives through meaningful applications. Origin Wireless CEO Dr. Ray Liu talks with Editor Bill Wong about Wi-Fi Sensing technology and its vast potential.
https://www.electronicdesign.com/industrial-automation/article/21214331/electronic-design-wifi-sensing-the-next-big-wireless-movement?utm_source=EG%20ED%20Analog%20%26%20Power%20Source&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS220111029&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
Tomi Engdahl says:
Learn how to detect humans and objects behind the walls using a microwave sensor that uses the doppler radar. You can also this microwave sensor for controlling lights.
Watch Video Tutorial:
https://youtu.be/CyZRINdPuks
Tomi Engdahl says:
Monitoring Parkinson’s Patients at Home Could Improve Disease Management Device uses low-power radio waves to assess walking speeds
https://spectrum.ieee.org/radar-device-could-monitor-parkinson-s-at-home
A radar device the size of a Wi-Fi router could help continuously monitor Parkinson’s disease in patients from afar as they go about their lives at home. By using radio waves to track the gait of Parkinson’s patients, the device should help doctors assess the effectiveness of medications, see how the disease is progressing, and create better treatment plans.
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive brain disorder that affects motor function, causing tremors, impaired balance, and the risk of falls and injuries. There is no cure for it and patients rely on medications to control symptoms.
Tomi Engdahl says:
ESP-WIFI-CSI detects humans with WiFi signals only, no sensor needed
https://www.cnx-software.com/2022/08/08/esp-wifi-csi-detects-humans-with-wifi-signals-only-no-sensor-needed/
Espressif ESP-WIFI-CSI software relies on the disturbance in the force WiFi signals between one or more ESP32 boards and a router to detect whether humans are present in a room, or even indoor positioning, providing a cost-effective solution since no sensors are needed.
Channel state information (CSI) leverages carrier signal strength, amplitude, phase, and signal delay indicators to reveal the signal scattering, reflection, and power attenuation phenomena that occur with the carrier as the transmission distance changes. This
Tomi Engdahl says:
Researchers Spin up Terrifying Hacker Drone That Can ‘See Through Walls’ With Wifi
https://gizmodo.com/drone-see-through-walls-wifi-wi-peep-waterloo-research-1849744061
Using a $20 off-the-shelf drone, researchers at the University of Waterloo in Ontario have created what is effectively an airborne scanning device that can triangulate the location of every WiFi-connected device in your house. Researchers say their device exploits security deficiencies in IEEE 802.11-a longstanding wireless protocol for local access networks that has a history of problems with data interception and eavesdropping. The program deploys what is known as a “time-of-flight” technique (ToF), which uses a data manipulation trick to measure the physical distance between a signal and an object.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://gizmodo.com/drone-see-through-walls-wifi-wi-peep-waterloo-research-1849744061
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wi-Spy
The Wi-Peep exploit allows an attacker to covertly locate all of the Wi-Fi-enabled devices in a building quickly using inexpensive hardware.
https://www.hackster.io/news/wi-spy-98d985364820
Tomi Engdahl says:
Scientists Are Getting Eerily Good at Using WiFi to ‘See’ People Through Walls in Detail https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3p7xj/scientists-are-getting-eerily-good-at-using-wifi-to-see-people-through-walls-in-detail
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University developed a method for detecting the three dimensional shape and movements of human bodies in a room, using only WiFi routers. To do this, they used DensePose, a system for mapping all of the pixels on the surface of a human body in a photo. DensePose was developed by London-based researchers and Facebooks AI researchers. From there, according to their recently-uploaded preprint paper published on arXiv, they developed a deep neural network that maps WiFi signals phase and amplitude sent and received by routers to coordinates on human bodies.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Scientists Are Getting Eerily Good at Using WiFi to ‘See’ People Through Walls in Detail
The signals from WiFi can be used to map a human body, according to a new paper.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3p7xj/scientists-are-getting-eerily-good-at-using-wifi-to-see-people-through-walls-in-detail
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/wi-fi-routers-used-to-detect-human-locations-poses-within-a-room
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/01/26/tracking-humans-with-wifi/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://vpnoverview.com/news/wifi-routers-used-to-produce-3d-images-of-humans/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wi-Fi Sensing: The Next Big Wireless Movement
Feb. 5, 2022
Wi-Fi can do more than just communication—it has the power to improve our lives through meaningful applications. Origin Wireless CEO Dr. Ray Liu talks with Editor Bill Wong about Wi-Fi Sensing technology and its vast potential.
https://www.electronicdesign.com/markets/automation/article/21214331/electronic-design-wifi-sensing-the-next-big-wireless-movement?utm_source=EG+ED++3rd+Party&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS230510052&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.identpull=omeda|7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
What is Wi-Fi Sensing?
Wi-Fi Sensing technology harnesses Wi-Fi signals to sense activities and interpret movement. The technology applies AI capabilities to make sense of Wi-Fi signals, called “channel state information (CSI),” to perform the sensing. Some sensing capabilities include basic motion detection, motion localization, presence detection, speed/velocity measurement, breathing detection, sleep monitoring, and daily activity monitoring.
How does Wi-Fi Sensing work?
Wi-Fi Sensing uses the Wi-Fi signals that exist in a home or building. Much like a pool of water waves, when a person or object crosses the pool of radio waves of a wireless device or other Wi-Fi-enabled IoT devices, Wi-Fi Sensing technology can sense the disruption and use the information to determine the size, speed, and location of the disruption.
The 802.11bf Wi-Fi standard provides a set of back-and-forth signaling protocols to set up Wi-Fi stations that, if done right, can be used to establish a Wi-Fi Sensing network. It turns out that every time a data packet is sent over the air via Wi-Fi, the Wi-Fi devices compute CSI of the wireless channel to overcome interference from the environment so as to decode the data packet properly.
While the CSI is designed primarily for data communication, in recent years we discovered that to overcome the interference due to the surrounding object movements and changes, the CSI actually captures a huge amount of information of the environment. So, in a nutshell, we perform Wi-Fi sensing by “decoding” the information hidden in the CSI. Companies like Origin apply AI on the CSI to achieve a vast array of sensing tasks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Using Just Wi-Fi Signals, You Can Track People And Read Through Walls
Wi-Fi signals from a router could be used to peer into your home.
https://www.iflscience.com/using-just-wi-fi-signals-you-can-track-people-and-read-through-walls-70872
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wild new Wi-Fi routers turn your home network into a security radar
https://newatlas.com/around-the-home/gamgee-wifi-home-security-system/
Wi-Fi security usually means keeping virtual intruders off your network, but a new system claims to be able to use Wi-Fi networks to detect physical intruders. Gamgee’s Wi-Fi Home Alarm System can learn to recognize people and pets who belong there and alert you to strangers – or perhaps even when an elderly person takes a fall