Not even a wall can stop this AI from seeing you. Image Credit: YouTube / MITCSAIL
Scientists have used radio signals as well as an artificial intelligence to track individuals through solid walls.
The remarkable new system is able to produce a skeleton-like visualisation of someone moving around behind a wall by using radio waves to build up a basic picture of them.
The technology is so impressive in fact that it can provide a real-time feed of a person's movements and is even able to identify a specific individual by analyzing their unique gait.
While the system might seem like a major invasion of privacy, for now it is only being used to track and monitor Parkinson's Disease patients as part of an ongoing medical study.
"We've seen that monitoring patients' walking speed and ability to do basic activities on their own gives healthcare providers a window into their lives that they didn't have before, which could be meaningful for a whole range of diseases," said MIT's Dina Katabi.
In the future, however, restricting its use to only ethical applications may prove rather challenging.
A couple of years back, I caught up with a cousin that I hadn't seen in 30 years. We met at a fast-food place and he'd gotten there first and parked. He called to me from across the lot and said with a grin, "I couldn't see your face but I KNEW that walk!" I had no idea how distinctive our gaits were until then. That said, I find it sad that from this generation on, people will live their whole lives never knowing what privacy is.
I don't think this is completely new since I read about something similar a few years ago. Anyway, I think it would be better if this technology didn't exist. For example, I think this would be really good for burglars who could check if a house is empty.
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