Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have taken us one step closer to the Marvel universe and have created software that uses radio signal variations to create visualizations of human silhouettes through walls, according to Digital Trends. Furthermore, Dina Katabi, who helped create the technology, says that it can track human movement through walls as well as help health care providers and families keep a closer eye on their children.
Research for the "X-ray vision" technology began back in 2012, when Katabi said that she and her colleagues were simply interested in the possibility of the concept.
"At first we were just interested," she said. "'Can you at all use wireless signals to detect what's happening in occluded spaces, behind a wall, couch?' something like that. 'Could we use it to detect exactly how people are moving in a space if they are behind a wall?'"
In addition to being a sensor, the technology's use of Wi-Fi signal detection means that it can also be used to control devices by simply pointing the sensor at them, according to the Bangkok Post.
"Think of it just like cameras, except that it's not a camera,'' said Fadel Adib, an MIT researcher working on the device. "It's a sensor that can monitor people and allow you to control devices just by pointing at them."
The device possesses a screen that displays the radio signal variations, which track the person's movements in real time and show the target as a red dot moving around. Furthermore, the device can also use wireless signals to measure an individual's breathing and heart rate and even identify people based on their unique skeletal shape.
The device is marketed by a company called Emerald and will be available for purchase in 2017 for somewhere between $250 to $300, The Daily Mail reports.
Take a look at a video of the unique technology below:
