MIT team uses wifi to identify through walls

Researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab have developed a technique which uses wifi signals to identify people through walls.Known as RF Capture, the technique uses analysis of gestures and other attributes to identify people through “reflections” created by wifi signals.When wireless radiation encounters a human body through a wall, it is reflected off them and the received signal is captured and analysed. The radiation used, according to the team, is quite minimal, roughly 1/10,000 of the radiation given off by a standard cellphone.To distinguish between different people, the team trained the device to use factors like body shape and height to create specific “silhouette fingerprints” for every person.The device is reportedly capable of being able to trace a person's hand as he writes in the air, through walls and closed doors. It can differentiate between 15 different individuals with a 90 percent accuracy rate.Although the method of processing the received signal in a way as to differentiate between various body parts makes it unlikely to be useful as a biometric identifier in its current state, the research team said improved algorithms would enhance accuracy.”We can extract meaningful signals through a series of algorithms we developed that minimize the random noise produced by the reflections,” says Dina Katabi, Director of the Wireless@MIT centre.

Also in the news:

ZKTeco opens US headquarters Oman commissions Safran to create single multi-biometric platform UN calls for harmonisation of Nigeria’s biometrics systems