This advanced technology has been introduced by a Taiwanese (China) energy management company at Computex.
At this week’s Computex exhibition in Taipei, Taiwan’s Delta energy management company announced an intriguing study showing that future Wi-Fi networks may be able to monitor our vital signs.
Dr. Tzi-cker Chiueh from Delta’s research center demonstrated how algorithms can detect breathing rates and even heartbeats simply by analyzing disruptions in Wi-Fi signals.
Breathing rate estimation algorithms achieve up to 95% accuracy when measured within a 5-meter range. (Illustrative image).
It turns out that current Wi-Fi is quite sensitive to small movements and changes in the surrounding environment. By accurately measuring the time of travel and the angle of incoming Wi-Fi signals bouncing around the room, Delta has created algorithms capable of tracking breathing with high precision.
According to a report from The Register, Chiueh stated that the breathing rate estimation algorithm achieves up to 95% accuracy when measured within a 5-meter range. Heart rates can also be detected, with an accuracy of 83% at a distance of 1 meter. He showcased a video of an experiment in which this technology could distinguish the sleep state of two individuals based on their breathing and body movements using Wi-Fi signals from two smartphones.
This technology would be revolutionary if it were to be integrated into smartphones, eliminating the need for wearable devices for health monitoring. Google previously experimented with “contactless” health tracking on its Pixel phones, but it required users to record a short video to measure breathing and heart rate. Perhaps Wi-Fi could simplify this process.
However, Dr. Chiueh intends to implement this technology on a larger scale. He believes that Wi-Fi access points could be used to monitor patients in hospitals or elderly individuals in nursing homes without the need for expensive specialized medical devices.
Situations where children and pets are left in cars, posing life-threatening risks, could also be applicable for this technology.
In addition to healthcare and safety, Delta believes that their Wi-Fi research could optimize network performance in challenging environments like warehouses by adjusting transmission points when detecting physical changes that could degrade network signals.
Currently, there is no specific timeline for when these projects might become a reality.
