Researchers create Amazing X-Ray Wireless Network!
By Donald Melanson 
posted Oct 1st 2009 3:27PM
posted Oct 1st 2009 3:27PM
Don't freak out or anything, but those wireless signals you bask in everyday could be watching you. Or at least they might, someday, if the work from a group of researchers at the University of Utah makes it beyond the lab. As Technology Review's Physics arXiv blog reports, they've devised a means to modify a standard 802.15.4 wireless network (commonly used by home automation services like ZigBee) to actually "see" movement through walls, and with some degree of accuracy, no less. As you might expect, however, that's not quite as simple as a firmware upgrade, and currently requires a 34-node network to keep watch on a standard living room, which is apparently enough to pin down moving objects within a meter or so. To do that, the system essentially bombards the space with an array of wireless signals and keeps watch on any changes in signal strength, building up a "picture" of the room in the process. No promises on a commercial version just yet, but the researchers see plenty of potential for it, and are even talking about a portable, GPS-equipped version that police or emergency responders could use before entering a dangerous area.
Didn't they do this in The Dark Knight?
Seriously...
All I remember is people saying how unrealistic it was. I didn't feel that way. But I think of what is potentially possible with some advancements that are not too far out there. Seems like we're almost there already :)
They used cellphones in Dark Knight (Nokia 5800). But the concept was pretty much the same.
Pretty much. They did it with cell phones though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6cv0KsTTfY
I was thinking the same thing..
I thought that the cell phones in TDK were using sound... Echolocation... Y'know, like a bat.
I think they invented this already...it's called RADAR
Hah, good point, but this would be passive RADAR if it used existing signals, plus RADAR would not detect humans but the metals right? Bur perhaps they can also use existing RADAR like those from airports and weather-RADAR to calculate a image from that, a piggyback RADAR, I bet that would be handy for the army, use the enemy's signals to get data without exposing yourself.
Yes they did Paul.
Secondly, now is better than ever to line your walls with a Faraday cage. Before this shit hits the fan.
I can just see it now...
That's strange, my throughput just dropped significantly...*checks wi-fi finder* but there's one hell of a hot spot right here...what are those 34 vans doing outside my house?...better get into my Faraday suit, don't want them looking too close.
Whew... fortunately they are NOT using X-rays as the title suggests.
Is no X-RAY is Z-RAY, is like X-RAY only two better!
I'm not entirely sure how police are going to get close enough to a house to actually deploy 34+ nodes. In the time it takes to do that, you could just run an armored half track right through the building.
consumers will be faced with the following choice-their gonads or high speed wireless
I'll take mutant babies for $300, please.
What happend to thermal is that unreliable or did they watch Dark Knight and say......I can do that.
I would love a home detection system that turns off the light when I leave the room.
Yet another thing to use to make porn.
use Z-ray, its 2 better than X
I'm pretty sure the FCC says "NO."
Think of calling it "Super MiMo!" It would be more like "Mi".. =)
spywear.
It would be awesome if they could develop that mobile one for police to use to send into dangerous areas first.
Of course it will be a race to see if they can develop it before anyone invents a video camera.
Can you imagine... being able to see... on a screen... what's going on... someplace you are not.
The world of tomorrow.
I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.
Wrong movie.
Batman?
No, Imma Batman!
I was serious, it does full IEE 754 double precision math, and supports MS's directcompute and the open OpenCL, meaning it should be able to process such complex calculations and perhaps get an even better picture, not that I want to be spied on though.
And I mention nvidia because I'm told they focus a LOT on the computing aspect of the GPU, more so than ATI it's hinted. although ATI also likes OpenCL and claims OpeCL and Directcompute support.
It just struck me as a complex math thing perfect for GPU's.
Now go suck an egg.
Who gives a sh*t. Standard Living Room: So its kinda like these things called light waves bouncing all around from a few Special Light Wave Emitting "Bulb" Nodes. Meanwhile Special Ocular Receivers constantly scan the "illuminated" area in 60 degree side to side x2. vectors?
This, from the University that gave us Cold Fusion