Wi-Fi Can Now See Through Walls, Still Can’t Find the F**king Printer
Researchers have developed a way for existing Wi-Fi signals to detect movement and presence through walls with surprising accuracy. This raises important questions about privacy and safety. Here’s a brief FAQ of what this technology can do — and what it might mean for everyday life:
Q: Can Wi-Fi really see through my walls now?
A: Yes, as can radar, thermal imaging, Ultra Wideband sensors, millimeter electromagnetic waves, and good old-fashioned X-rays, all of which have been around for decades.
Q: Should I worry about privacy?
A: Theoretically, yes. But if your life were interesting enough, you wouldn’t just be hearing about this now. Don’t flatter yourself, “Mr. Bond.”
Q: How can I avoid being detected?
A: Simple! Just unplug your router. Then throw it out the window, then move to a remote cabin in the woods, then dissociate from any known friends or family, then wrap yourself in aluminum foil, and then live your life as normal.
Q: What practical use does this have?
A: For one, elderly care and safety monitoring. It can be used to unobtrusively detect falls, unusual inactivity, or medical emergencies without cameras, thus maintaining privacy and dignity while ensuring quick responses in critical situations. So take that ski trip, bub. Grandpa will be fine.
Q: Will my internet bill increase because of this technology?
A: Nope! It’s free of charge!
Q: Can it detect my pets?
A: Their movements, yes. Their intentions, no. But it’s pretty obvious your cat has been plotting your demise for some time now.
Q: Is this legal?
A: You tell us. It’s all laid out in the terms of service you didn’t read.
Q: Should I panic?
A: Definitely not. A vivid picture of your habits could already be painted from your internet browsing activity, which was easily trackable before. Keep scrolling, shopping, and gooning, friend!
This is a work of satire. Characters and situations may be created for comic effect. AI-generated image by ChatGPT.
JUST THE FACTS
- In 2022, Carnegie Mellon University researchers created a Wi-Fi-based system using a Meta-developed AI model, called DensePose, to map human bodies through walls, offering radar-like imaging across various construction materials (drywall, concrete, wood).
- The AI model, which uses a deep neural network to map human limbs and movements, turns Wi-Fi signals into human pose estimates, reportedly rivaling cameras and LiDAR. It claims to enable privacy-friendly detection for uses like elder monitoring.
- Around the same time, researchers at the University of Waterloo developed a drone device dubbed "Wi-Peep," which can bypass password-protected Wi-Fi to track the movements of devices, and thus the person holding that device, from outside buildings.
- Earlier this year, an independent team of hardware hackers built a low-cost system using AI, virtual reality headsets, and invisible electromagnetic radiation to process Wi-Fi distortions with neural networks, enabling real-time detection of hidden people for rescue and emergency use.
- The human tracking aspect has prompted privacy concerns, particularly regarding the definition of "suspicious behavior" — one of the reasons cited as an excuse for using such technology.
Sources: arXiv, Interesting Engineering, Independent, Hackster, Waterloo, Popular Mechanics, and ZME Science.