The camera could be used to observe people’s movements and their shapes.
A surprising amount of information can be obtained with the invisible signals of the environment. Illustration image. Colourbox
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States developed a method that enables a Wi-Fi router to be turned into a camera. A wifi camera could detect the movements of the people in the room and their shapes in three dimensions.
– With a Wi-Fi connection, people in the room can be identified even in poor lighting and through obstacles that limit the operation of traditional cameras, the researchers wrote.
In the past, researchers have developed a way to detect figures two-dimensionally using wifi, the new research enables a more accurate picture.
A new tool for intelligence services?
The researchers did not disclose their funder. However, the research group has received funding from the US National Intelligence Service for its previous research on human behavior. Told about it Economist believes that the primary use of the technology is intelligence and espionage.
The camera uses two different technologies. To identify a person’s location, Carnegie Mellon researchers developed own machine learning system, which takes advantage of the wifi router’s signal strength and its changes. Produced in collaboration between British researchers and Facebook artificial intelligence researchers Densepose system using can build a picture of the person where the signal change is detected.
– Several households in developed countries have a Wifi router. This technology could be used to monitor the well-being of older people or verify suspicious activity at home, the researchers wrote.
Suspicious activity was not specified. Also Vice thinks that the Wifi camera could be used not only for good purposes but also to violate people’s privacy.