Human sensing (also called human detection or

human presence detection Human presence detection is a range of technologies and methods for detecting the presence of a human body in an area of interest (AOI), or verification that computer, smartphone (or other device controlled by software) is operated by human. Sof ...

) encompasses a range of technologies for detecting the presence of a human body in an area of space, typically without the intentional participation of the detected person. Common applications include

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing, or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as ...

, and

customer analytics Customer analytics is a process by which data from customer behavior is used to help make key business decisions via market segmentation and predictive analytics. This information is used by businesses for direct marketing, site selection, and ...

(for example,

people counter A people counter is an electronic device that is used to measure the number of people traversing a certain passage or entrance. Examples include simple manual clickers, smart-flooring technologies, infrared beams, thermal imaging systems, Wi-Fi trac ...

s). Modern technologies proposed or deployed for human sensing include: * Acoustic sensors *

Image recognition Computer vision tasks include methods for acquiring, processing, analyzing, and understanding digital images, and extraction of high-dimensional data from the real world in order to produce numerical or symbolic information, e.g. in the form o ...

of human shapes * Infrared detectors * Pressure-sensitive floor tiles *

Radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

Chemical sensors A sensor is often defined as a device that receives and responds to a signal or stimulus. The stimulus is the quantity, property, or condition that is sensed and converted into electrical signal. In the broadest definition, a sensor is a devi ...

* Detection of the

mobile phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...

computer A computer is a machine that can be Computer programming, programmed to automatically Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (''computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic set ...

Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is li ...

, or

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...

signals of a device assumed to be in the possession of a person. *

WiFi Sensing Wi-Fi Sensing (also referred to as WLAN Sensing) is a technology that uses existing Wi-Fi signals for the purpose of detecting events or changes such as motion, gesture recognition, and biometric measurement (e.g. breathing). Wi-Fi Sensing allows ...

Examples

In 1997

CAPTCHA Completely Automated Public Turing Test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) ( ) is a type of challenge–response authentication, challenge–response turing test used in computing to determine whether the user is human in order to de ...

("Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart") was invented. A test is presented to detect that a computer is being used by a human operator, preventing access to a protected resource by programs such as spam robots. Various commercial heartbeat detection systems employ a set of vibration or seismic sensors to detect the presence of a person inside a vehicle or container by sensing vibrations caused by the human

heartbeat Heartbeat, heart beat or heartbeats may refer to: Science and technology * Heartbeat (biology), one cardiac cycle of the heart * Heartbeat (computing), a periodic signal to indicate normal operation or to synchronize parts of a system ** Heartbea ...

. Another commercial product uses infrared light to detect the level of

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

in an enclosed space, from which it infers the presence of humans or other living creatures. In September 2013, the

United States Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the Interior minister, interior, Home Secretary ...

's Science and Technology Directorate demonstrated a prototype of the FINDER radar technology device, which it developed in conjunction with NASA's

Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) in La Cañada Flintridge, California, Crescenta Valley, United States. Founded in 1936 by Cali ...

. FINDER uses microwave radar to detect the unique signature of a human's breathing pattern and heartbeat, through 20 feet of solid concrete, 30 feet of a crushed mixture of concrete and

rebar Rebar (short for reinforcement bar or reinforcing bar), known when massed as reinforcing steel or steel reinforcement, is a tension device added to concrete to form ''reinforced concrete'' and reinforced masonry structures to strengthen and aid ...

, and 100 feet of open space. In September 2014, the DHS promoted the technology to SWAT teams at the

Urban Shield The Alameda County Sheriff's Office (ACSO) is a law enforcement agency serving Alameda County, California. ACSO is accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), the American Correctional Association ( ...

trade show. In 2019, waste management company Total Waste Solutions developed a device to help protect homeless people who seek shelter inside industrial bins from harm.

References

{{reflist * * * *

External links

Remote human presence detection system
Tam, Daniel et al. Assignee:The United States of America, as Represented by the Secretary of the Navy . Disaster management tools Human–computer interaction

Examples

See also

References

External links