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Scientists at Sapienza University of Rome have developed something called WhoFi. This technology can identify you just by how your body interacts with a Wi-Fi signal. What’s surprising is that WhoFi can already identify people with a mind-blowing 95.5% accuracy. And it requires no contact, light, or even a camera.
How WhoFi Works
Instead of scanning a face or finger, WhoFi analyses the “digital shadow” created by a person in the electromagnetic waves of a Wi-Fi signal. When they tested WhoFi on an NTU dataset, it achieved an identification accuracy of 95.5%. That’s an impressive leap from older tech, like the 2020 EyeFi system, which managed a meagre 75%.
The brains behind WhoFi tinkered with different AI models, like LSTM, Bi-LSTM, and something called Transformer. It turns out that a single Transformer model got the best results. Transformer models gave the best results.
Where WhoFi Could Find Application: From Your Smart Home to the Airport:
Many smart home gadgets already use Wi-Fi to sense motion. That’s called Wi-Fi Sensing, and WhoFi is taking that tech to the next level. Brands like WiZ are already using it for motion sensors in homes.
WhoFi goes way beyond just detecting motion. It can recognize people with precision, and this opens up a whole gateway for all sorts of applications:
1. Access control without the hassle:
Imagine walking into your office without needing a card, a key, or a camera to recognise you. Just walk in after seamless WhoFi verification.
2. Keeping an eye on older people:
In nursing homes, it could monitor older people without needing to put cameras everywhere, which is a big win for privacy.
3. Smart security for businesses:
Companies could benefit from high-level security systems that identify people with accuracy, even through walls or in the dark. WhoFi doesn’t need light. It also doesn’t record images, and it can even see through obstacles.
The Future Is Now
Beyond becoming a sci-fi dream, WhoFi could become a part of a new, standardised Wi-Fi world, thanks to IEEE 802.11bf. This standard formalises “Wi-Fi Sensing” technology. It covers pretty much all Wi-Fi bands, from 1 GHz to 45 GHz and beyond, meaning this tech could be integrated into almost any Wi-Fi network out there.
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Surveillance and Privacy
Let’s talk about the privacy aspect. This new tech raises some eyebrows. WhoFi works without you even knowing it’s there. All you need to do is be within Wi-Fi range. This makes it important to draw the line between enhancing security and becoming a surveillance state.
The team that made WhoFi say it is suitable for personal data protection because it doesn’t record images. But critics warn that this invisible, real-time tracking could be a whole new level of spying. WhoFi Sensing can identify your gender, weight, height, and other personal information with remarkable accuracy.
The Next Revolution in Biometrics?
WhoFi isn’t something you can buy off the shelf yet, but its potential has everyone calling it a “teaser” for a whole new era of identification. We’re looking at a future where you don’t need a camera to “see” people, just a Wi-Fi router.
This tech could change the way we think about security and personal data in this age of smart gadgets everywhere. From your home to your office to public spots, how you set the rules for using WhoFi will be super important.
What’s Next for WhoFi?
The researchers admit that their current tests were done in smaller groups and controlled settings. So, the big question is, how would WhoFi handle a super-crowded airport or a busy office with tons of people moving around? Still, the possibilities are enormous. WhoFi could find utility in security and smart building management and personalised shopping experiences. But without clear rules, its ability to identify people passively has privacy advocates worried.
The researchers say that the core insight is that Wi-Fi signals contain rich biometric information that can be decoded using deep learning methods. This shows how much ambient sensing tech is becoming a part of biometric identification, pushing the boundaries of surveillance while making us rethink privacy.
