New Robot Can See Through Buildings Using WiFi

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, have developed a robot that's able to see through walls using Wi-Fi.

Robots that can map out their surroundings using only Wi-Fi signals have been developed.

While the technology of using Wi-Fi to see what's on the other side of a wall isn't completely new, attaching it to an autonomous machine is.

A research team at the University of California, Santa Barbara mounted Wi-Fi broadcasters to small robots on wheels.

The robots are able to generate a map of their surrounding area by noting where the Wi-Fi signals are the strongest and the weakest.

The team is led by Dr. Yasamin Mostofi, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the university.

This technology can also reveal the presence and location of objects on the other side of walls, and can learn to identify what material the object is made of, such as human, metal or wood.
Using Wi-Fi as a sort of X-ray vision isn't limited to robots. It can be used with any Wi-Fi connected gadget.

In the future, this technology could potentially be used in security systems, monitoring the elderly and even for body scans.