Exactly, it’s new. No one knows what advantages or disadvantages a ‘finished’ (I’m using that word loosely because no technology is ever finished until it’s completely obsolete) form of this technology might have over existing alternatives. Can it be made to be more efficient than something else? Does the fact it relies on electromagnetic waves instead of photons make it more attractive than thermal imaging for some applications?

We cannot dismiss a technology completely just because its proof of concept doesn’t “wow” everyone.

triangulation with cellphone towers (already used by police) or existing wifi hotspots whose location was known (was an app that did this… cant remember its name now tho… but while it worked it wasnt reliable…) and of course the all-encompasing GPS…

and of course thermal imaging comes into play when looking for a someone who does not have an electronic device of their own…

this type of tracking for home automation perhaps(for a -very- smart house)? im lost for ideas of what this could be used for that doesnt already have a ‘finished’ alternative…

Keep the new technology articles coming.

It looks like humans need Earth’s magnetic field to function.

“Locating people in fires, hostage situations, collapsed buildings, earthquakes, etc, etc … ?”

ppl in fires?; thermal imaging — for the departments that can afford it.. and thats a mature tech… i can only imagine what this would cost…

hostage situations?; strategic positions of well trained snipers among many other tools (sometimes including.. you guessed it… thermal imaging…)

collapsed buildings?; ppl sniffing dogs… teeny tiny cameras that can be snaked through the rubble… how would you get the transmitter/reciver to see through a collapsed building anyway? its -collapsed- … where do you plan to stick the transmitter(s)?

earthquakes?; see above unless you had another idea since detecting them is the territory of yet another very mature tech

its an interesting idea with a high cool and geek factor… but honestly not a practical one… 34 ‘nodes’ for 780 sq feet to get a pixelated image? only time will tell what becomes of this… (if anything)

People should be educated about how the technology works and if they want to paint their house with zinc-oxide paint or wrap it in tinfoil or whatever, it’s their right to do so. However, the use of the technology still has to be regulated, no paparazzi or “security” guys can have it. Any time police use it, extensive documentation, non-erasable/modifiable memory of everything (location, video, audio), full disclosure to the public inquiry committee is a must! Basically, if you’re going to use it for anything, we want to make sure if you’re using it for bad, you’re hung out to dry! Especially if you are a government agency or police force.

As always, accountability MUST accompany anything relating to invasion of any sort of privacy. And not a wrist slap either, if a civilian used the technology to catch a cheating wife, they would be severely punished. If it were police abusing the technology, they MUST be severely punished as well (paid days off is NOT a punishment!).

That being said….. it is really cool.

Hmmm, we’re starting to sound like the RIAA.
P2P should be destroyed because some people don’t use it for
good.

Sorry, I have got to go along with any invention has a right to exist as long as it
has ’substantial legal uses’.

Sound familiar ?

No ? Don’t feel bad. Most lawmakers couldn’t tell you where that quote comes
from either.

Every invention ever conceived can be used for good OR ill.
Knives, guns ,sticks, VHS, P2P .. Google Earth ( had to slip that in ; ) ).
If inventing must be banned because of potential bad uses we might
as well have just stayed in our caves and never come out.

Although only yet developed to the point of being able to detect movement, in time there’s no reason why it could not be refined into a system for “photographing” through walls.

In theory, it’s not much different from the decades-old science of geophysical well-logging, which enables the ability to “see” sub-surface geology remotely.

The newer method is now zinc-oxide paint; blocks the signal better than the foil and is easier to apply.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=block+wifi

wasn’t so hard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifQkbMJ_sXM

“how can that be ‘cool’?”

Locating people in fires, hostage situations, collapsed buildings, earthquakes, etc, etc … ?

Cheers!