At MIT, Dina Katabi and her team are working on a bold new way to monitor patients' vital signs in a hospital (or even at home), without wearables or bulky, beeping devices. Bonus: it can see through walls. In a mind-blowing talk and demo, Katabi previews a system that captures the reflections of signals like Wi-Fi as they bounce off people, creating a reliable record of vitals for healthcare workers and patients. And in a brief Q&A with TED curator Helen Walters, Katabi discusses safeguards being put in place to prevent people from using this tech to monitor somebody without their consent.

Dina Katabi: A new way to monitor vital signs (that can see through walls)

A new way to monitor vital signs (that can see through walls)

Harnessing wireless signals, similar to the Force in Star Wars, offers a groundbreaking approach to monitor vital signs.

Innovative use of weak wireless signals and machine learning could revolutionize healthcare by tracking vital signs through walls.

Harnessing Wi-Fi signals, a novel device detects vital signs and movements through walls, revolutionizing home healthcare.