Unmanned aerial vehicles have the ability to see through walls

US scientists have created unmanned aerial vehicles capable of producing 3D images of objects behind the walls with wireless waves.

Scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in the US, develop technology that enables wall-to-wall viewing by capturing and broadcasting Wi-Fi signals from unmanned aerial vehicles, IFL Science reported today. In this way, the team can create a 3D map of objects obscured by walls.

Experimental look through the wall by unmanned aircraft. (Video: IFL Science).

"Imagining the image behind a wall is a big challenge, especially when it comes to brick or concrete walls, but now we've figured out how to redraw 3D images using wireless waves. Unmanned aerial vehicles, " said Yasamin Mostofi, head of research.

Unmanned aerial vehicles can see through the walls and create 3D images using Wi-Fi waves. Photo: IFL Science.

To conduct the experiment, the scientists used two unmanned octopopters flying outside the house made of four brick walls. An unmanned aerial vehicle sends a Wi-Fi signal, and the rest receives the signal. By flying in a specific pattern, the technique can produce high-resolution 3D imagery, revealing the structure and shape of the object within the wall.

Texture inside the wall and 3D image results. Photo: Yasamin Mostofi.

"The results promise a number of practical applications, such as emergency response, archaeological exploration or infrastructure monitoring , " Mostofi said.