Scientists at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have created BreatheSmart, an algorithm to determine whether someone is having trouble breathing using available Wi-Fi routers and devices.
Wi-Fi routers continuously broadcast radio frequencies that phones, tablets and computers are able pick up. As the signals travel, they bounce off or pass through everything around them — the walls, the furniture and even people.
Due to the frequencies' sensibilities any movements - including breathing patterns - slightly alter the signal’s path from the router to a device. These are the changes that BreatheSmart has been trained to pick up and analyse.
Complete setup for the experiment using an off-the-shelf Wi-Fi router and receiving device. / S. Mosleh/NIST
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