
Detecting walking speed with wireless signals - tdwong
http://news.mit.edu/2017/dina-katabi-csail-team-develop-wireless-system-to-detect-walking-speeds-0501
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ChuckMcM
And it can be a burglar alarm :-)

I like the research (and the general class of research which is looking at
trending changes in measurable activities to understand health) but it creeps
me out a bit to realize how _much_ about someone you can learn by combing
through their 'digital exhaust' if you will. Sort of their information wake[1]
as they move through their daily activities. I saw someone testing a remote
thermometer that was pointed at people coming into a health clinic to measure
how many people a day passed through the door and were running a fever.
Useful? probably, creepy? definitely.

[1] Ripples in the data sphere as people pass much like ripples in the water
as a boat passes.

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Larrikin
Those machines are very common in international airports now before you get to
customs. I first started seeing them during the SARS outbreak.

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lorenzhs
Dina Katabi held an invited talk on WiTrack at SODA this year, it's absolutely
incredible what they can do. This technology can not only track movement of
people around a flat or house, but also _heart rate_. There are more details
at [http://witrack.csail.mit.edu/](http://witrack.csail.mit.edu/)

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awqrre
similar news: Create 3D models with centimeter precision using a wifi router's
signal: [https://www.tum.de/en/about-tum/news/press-
releases/detail/a...](https://www.tum.de/en/about-tum/news/press-
releases/detail/article/33897/) (1 cm precision)

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anigbrowl
Or you could just, you know, take an average of how long it takes you to walk
a known route. This seems like a solution in search of a problem, as well as
another way for people to spy on me through my phone.

I figure it's only a matter of time before I start getting unsolicited updates
on my sexual performance from third parties based on the amplitude, pitch and
frequency of the resulting moans - full report with detailed analytics
available for only $9.99.

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mattnewton
There's an app for that (no-joke)
[http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/24/spreadsheet...](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/24/spreadsheets-
the-new-app-that-tracks-your-sex-life-s-ups-and-downs)

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z3t4
i think 1-5% change in speed is a lot. its interesting tech but it needs to be
more acurate. you can currently use floor sensors and high speed cameras. my
experience is from sports though and not elderly care. it would be very nice
to use something like this to analyse a football game or athletics.

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TehCorwiz
This reminds me of the gait-tracking tech in the book Little Brother. :/

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lozf
Gait-tracking is not just the stuff of Doctorow Novels:

[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspon...](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6995061.stm)
(2007)

[http://www.imaging.org/site/PDFS/Reporter/Articles/Rep22_2_E...](http://www.imaging.org/site/PDFS/Reporter/Articles/Rep22_2_EI2007_6491_Larsen.pdf)

