The boffins used bog standard routers like the TP-Link Archer A7 AC1750 at either end of the room, along with various numbers of people in the room. AI-powered algorithms analysed the Wi-Fi signal interference generated by the people.

Wireframe images generated from the Wi-Fi monitoring looked  accurate and the researchers claimed they were as good as some “image-based approaches.”

There are some advantages and attractions for using Wi-Fi over cameras. Firstly, the wireframe estimations of human pose are more respectful of human privacy. Wi-Fi based perception doesn’t require light, and can detect body poses even when there are objects in the way which would obscure a traditional camera view. Another major attraction of this discovery is that Wi-Fi routers are cheaper and more accessible than expensive and power-hungry solutions such as radar and LiDAR.

The system is not perfect yet, particularly if humans make unusual poses or there are too many subjects in the room at once.