Frontier · Strong theory
Void-Space Life Detection (Rubble/Container/Attic)
It can tell someone is alive under rubble by the rhythm of their breathing.
The physics is solid; our own validation is scheduled.
How it works
Breathing moves the chest a few millimeters, over and over, in a slow steady rhythm. WiFi threads through rubble, container walls, and floors — weakened, but not stopped, and the rhythm survives the weakening. No pile of debris breathes; if the rhythm is there, someone in there is alive.
In the physics: Breathing (0.1-0.5 Hz) cyclically displaces the thorax by ~mm, phase-modulating any multipath component that penetrates to the person — a signature no static debris can produce. NLOS penetration at 2.4 GHz through rubble/container walls is attenuating but nonzero; the periodicity, not SNR, carries the detection. Through-wall LOS/NLOS discrimination (AUC 0.69) and breathing-band extraction are already in the proven stack.
See it work
This is real pipeline output for Frontier, replayed. The exact reading depends on your room.
Go deeper
How the field becomes an answer
How we prove it
OPERAnet/EHUNAM respiration traces for the breathing extractor; own-hardware: volunteer inside a rubble mockup (concrete slabs/CMU pile) and inside a closed steel container, ROC vs depth and vs diesel-generator interference.
Who it is for
'A $100 throwable mesh that finds the living' — breathing-based life detection for USAR teams, border/anti-trafficking container checks, and firefighter accountability in zero-visibility structures.
runtime Runs today in LatentField 2.0 as breathing_rate
The matching solution
Complete first-room estimateField Lab Kit6 nodes · ~$320 parts · 120 min Request kit, subscribe, or set up →Compatible DIY hardware options
60 min · intermediate
240 min · installer