Wireless Intelligence Sensing: A Revolutionary Leap in IoT

Yihong Qi and Alex Qi's WISe: A Breakthrough in Non-Intrusive Vital Sensing

The inspiration behind WISe stems from the desire to decipher human vitality and behavior using advanced technology. Mercku, the team behind this innovation, leverages artificial intelligence and hardware to create a truly connected IoT ecosystem. The design eliminates internal interference and environmental noise, enabling devices to measure nearby vitals without wearables, thus achieving a proper machine-human integration.

WISe is unique in its ability to combine hardware and computing breakthroughs to accurately measure heartbeat, breath rates, and other vital signs without wearables. The design includes minimizing wireless interference and fitting seven antennas in a coin-sized space. Cutting-edge computation isolates sensor signals from environmental noise and measures minuscule rhythms like heartbeats, non-intrusively, from meters away.

The realization of WISe involved a three-step process: data capture, information synthesis, and knowledge accumulation. Hardware innovations, including industry-leading antenna systems, accurately capture human data. Proprietary software algorithms then turn this data into information and distinguish human behavior. Lastly, advanced AI and machine learning computation build models to understand human behavior, enabling early disease detection and empowering a human-machine ecosystem.

WISe's technical specifications are impressive. The sensor can fit in existing products, automobiles, and electronic devices. The size is flexible, and the antenna array can be adapted to fit unique implementations and environments. Leveraging mmWave frequency, particularly 60GHz, this sensor can achieve near-perfect results up to 3m. Beyond that, the sensor can cover multiple rooms for presence detection capabilities.

WISe can be embedded into existing or new products, unlocking vital sensing capabilities automatically, without user intervention. In a car, WISe can scan for security intrusions, measure driver health, and detect children. In the home, WISe can make any product vital-sensitive. The sensor is embedded as a component at the manufacturing level.

WISe development started in 2017 in Waterloo, Canada, and the first commercial product became available in September 2020. Currently, WISe integration occurs in the automotive and smart home industries. The research focused on three main areas: hardware research and advancements, software algorithms, and proprietary artificial intelligence. The biggest challenge was overcoming the system interference to obtain valuable vital data without wearables. However, breakthroughs in physics have resulted in a solution with industry-leading accuracy.

WISe is a testament to the power of innovation and the potential of IoT. As we move towards a future where technology and humanity are increasingly intertwined, WISe stands as a beacon of what is possible when we push the boundaries of what technology can do.