New Technology Can Sense People’s Movements through Walls

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a software that can sense and track people’s actions through walls. Called RF-Pose, the technology uses artificial intelligence (AI) that programs devices to identify and monitor a person’s movements like walking, waving, standing, or sitting down. RF-Pose also relies on a radio transmitter that emits waves, which are reflected by people’s bodies. Specifically, the researchers conditioned RF-Pose to track people’s movements by gathering images of people in motion. Then, the device learned to produce stick figures every time it senses radio signals from a person. While the technology cannot really determine what is happening behind walls, it learned to anticipate a person’s movements using data from the images and radio waves. The researchers believe that RF-Pose can greatly contribute to health care as it can be used in monitoring degenerative illnesses like Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis. With the help of RF-Pose, doctors can keep tabs on patients’ status in terms of the progression of diseases. The technology can also help in keeping track of falls and injuries. Currently, the researchers are planning to conduct a trial of RF-Pose with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. They are also hoping to commercialize the technology in the future. Despite the technology’s potential, a research associate from the Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute raised that RF-Pose can breach privacy because it can monitor people without their consent. Because lead researcher Dina Katabi recognized this issue, her team is looking into developing a consent mechanism. This mechanism instructs a person to perform certain movements before enabling RF-Pose to observe the environment.