Detecting Bomb And Guns Using Normal WiFi: Researchers Find A New Way

A total of 23 school shootings, in the US, have already taken place alone in 2018, with Parkland high school shooting being the recent one with over 17 killings.

While media and politics are revolving around better gun reforms, a group of engineers has developed a method to track easy-to-hide lethal objects with the help of WiFi.

The engineers from Rutgers University-New Brunswick, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), and Binghamton University, have developed a way in which normal WiFi can be used to identify guns, bombs, explosive chemicals.

In the recently published study, the researchers point out the recent mass shootings and lack of strict security at public places like malls, schools, museums, etc.

Also, the study highlights the policy of Parkland School where kids have to carry clear and transparent backpacks, which appears to be a temporary hack and a complete invasion of privacy.

For the purpose, the researchers used channel state information (CSI) from off-the-shelf WiFi to detect suspicious objects (metal and liquid object). While inspecting any baggage, it first identifies whether the item is dangerous or not. Then, it determines the type of material and the danger level.

According to the research, the systems were able to track suspicious items with over 95% accuracy. Even more, systems managed to detect whether the dangerous object is metal or liquid with over 97% accuracy.

The test was able to give out accurate results on 15 different objects ranging in there different categories — Metal, liquid, and non-dangerous items.

While it’s not clear whether the government will adopt and use the newly developed tracking method in public places, this certainly looks like the best way to stop guns and bombs get into school premises.