While it sounds like something out of a science fiction story, there’s actually quite a bit of concerning scientific evidence to back it up.
A viral post recently made waves online, showcasing 3D models of Wi-Fi signals that supposedly mimic breathing patterns. Yet, this graphic isn’t just a captivating image; it represents a real phenomenon that highlights how signals can track various activities within a home.
‘Breathing is enough to give you away.’
An engineer posted that every breath you take subtly alters how Wi-Fi waves reflect off your body, suggesting that “breathing is enough to give you away” if someone with bad intentions wants to locate you.
The post has reached nearly 2 million viewers and claims that these minute changes in a person’s breathing rhythm are detectable and correspond with Wi-Fi signals in the same area.
Sadly for consumers, numerous reports—including some from government sources—confirm these assertions. This is just the beginning of what can be monitored using Wi-Fi signals.
In fact, Wi-Fi-based tracking has been subjected to considerable study, and researchers have arrived at some unsettling conclusions.
Programs can detect human presence by simply analyzing the way signals bounce back. They can determine whether someone’s walking, standing, or sitting. A report from Stork.ai even indicates that in specific conditions, movement can be tracked through walls.
Similarly, prior coverage has detailed how smart TVs and HDMI cords can compromise user privacy. Now, Wi-Fi is being added to a growing list of technologies that can monitor how many people are in a room.
A 2022 report from the National Institute of Standards and Technology revealed these capabilities, positioning them as beneficial in aiding healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the report titled “Wi-Fi Could Help Identify When You’re Struggling to Breathe,” the NIST noted that it could detect various breathing rates and disruptions using readily available Wi-Fi routers.
Moreover, researchers in Taiwan have also delved into this area. Dr. Tzi-cker Chiueh, affiliated with a power management firm named Delta, discovered that breathing rates could be accurately monitored via Wi-Fi signal disruptions with about 95% accuracy from five meters away, while heartbeats could be detected with 83% accuracy from just one meter.
It’s worth noting that people might recall similar technologies used by organizations like the CIA to track a stranded pilot in Iran.
Overall, an array of studies and reports suggests that Wi-Fi signals can function as distance-measuring tools and can also quantify human physiological functions by analyzing the steady stream of signals and their consistent patterns of disruption.
