This article was written by Ashutosh Datta, GM, HFCL Ltd.
Wi-Fi is an indispensable technology in today’s digitally connected world, powering everything from our smartphones to our kitchens. And for most of us, it allows us to keep in contact with friends, family, acquaintances, and co- workers while we’re out and about. But the impact of Wi-Fi on our society goes far beyond the convenience factor.
Thanks to the continued innovation in wireless communications, Wi-Fi is about to undergo another revolution-Wi-Fi Sensing. It is the next generation of Wi-Fi, poised to usher in a new era of wireless communications.
Wi-Fi Sensing- a quick overview
Wi-Fi sensing is all about using motion detection, gesture recognition, and biometric measurement capabilities for healthcare, security, and smart home offerings.
It can make our lives safer, our homes secured, and our businesses more efficient. It also has the potential to enable new services like energy-efficient lighting and automatic door locks that were not possible before.
Some of its capabilities include basic motion detection, motion localization, presence detection, speed and velocity measurement, breathing detection, sleep monitoring, and daily activity monitoring.
Wi-Fi sensing: influencing future of the connectivity ecosystem
Wi-Fi sensing is used in a wide range of applications to make our lives easier. It is making our world more sustainable by automating processes to detect relevant situations and respond using automation or alerting the user to take corrective action promptly.
Applications of Wi-Fi sensing
A new era is upon us. With ubiquitous Wi-Fi sensing, the proliferation of new applications will be driven by our ability to capture and use available data efficiently. It will enable a new generation of applications and services that will change how we interact with our surroundings, each other, and ourselves. Some of the most prominent applications of Wi-Fi sensing are:
Home security
Wi-Fi Sensing alerts users by detecting unusual activity in the home, so people can take appropriate steps to safeguard valuables and loved ones. Since Wi- Sensing doesn’t require a physical security system, it’s an excellent option for people who don’t have the time or the money to install a full-blown home security system.
Healthcare/eldercare
Wi-Fi sensing technology is most prominent when applied in the eldercare space and for people with disabilities to remain safely independent in their homes. Sooner, it will go beyond clinical settings and care facilities, wherein the use cases would also include patient monitoring within broader healthcare environments.
Automation for homes and buildings
With Wi-Fi Sensing, home/enterprise automation can experience a change. It detects motion and gestures to control connected lights, climate control system and multi-room audio, as people enter or exit. Wi-Fi Sensing supports automation in broad applications triggered by human presence, contributing to a more sustainable future by reducing energy use in homes and buildings through automation.
IoT-powered smart devices
Wi-Fi sensing can add a lot of functionality to IoT devices, enabling homes to be more convenient and safer with Wi-Fi connectivity. This will allow a variety of exciting new applications and connect home products to the Internet even when the user is away. Furthermore, it makes the home safer by sensing when kids are home alone and remotely controlling home products from anywhere in the world.
Automotive Industry
In the automotive industry, Wi-Fi Sensing helps improve product and service quality and safeguards the consumer with a real-time tracking environment by detecting when a vehicle is about to leave the road and providing a warning. In a future world, the automotive industry could even monitor the driver’s yawns—and wake them up—with vibrations from the steering wheel.
Wi-Fi Sensing- a step into the future
The unprecedented wireless revolution is turning our world on its head and changing everything forever.
In the future, Wi-Fi sensing will have a far-reaching impact on how we interact with our devices. Some changes will be slow to spread, such as using Wi-Fi sensing in fitness trackers to adjust their workout programs automatically.
Others will be more pervasive across the ecosystem, such as the rise of voice and gesture control in the home or changes to the social power dynamic due to sensing.
Closing quote
Advanced wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi sensing will become an essential part of the fabric that links billions of devices, machines, and people in the hyper connected world.
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