Cognitive Systems Corp, the company behind the Aura WiFi motion tracking technology, has announced a partnership with Stanley Black & Decker to assist it in creating its Omni home security system.
Omni is a collaborative effort from Cognitive Systems Corp, Plume, Qualcomm Technologies, and Stanley Black & Decker. Cognitive Systems Corp is integrating its Aura WiFi motion detection technology within the hardware.
As opposed to traditional contact switches and infrared PIR sensors, Aura analyzes disruptions in WiFi signal to detect movement within an area. As a full-stack software solution, it can be applied to any existing network devices, including meshed networks.
Once deployed, the technology is controlled solely through the router. Any WiFi connected device, be it a phone, smart device, or otherwise, are automatically turned into a sensing point. Through the onboard processor and Plume-enabled cloud technology, the system detects signal differences between WiFi devices and triangulates the person’s position and movement. The system also uses machine learning to detect and filter out certain types of motion including pets, fans, and automated house cleaning robots.
Taj Manku, CEO of Cognitive Systems Corp. mentioned that as opposed to security cameras that gives a ton of context, the Cognitive system’s WiFi sensing tech provides a middle ground where it alerts the user without the privacy concerns that are inherent with imaging.
Once released, Omni can be applied to home monitoring, elderly monitoring, and DIY security. Stanley Black & Decker will showcase Omni at CES 2019 in Las Vegas in January 2019, with official release slated for summer 2019. Pricing has yet to be determined.