German scientists have developed a technique to make 3D photographs through walls using Wi-Fi and "leftover" microwave radiation.

Philipp M. Holl and Friedemann Reinhard's study was published in the American Physical Society's physical review letters. Using Wi-Fi signals the two found a way to use the emissions from a commercial to act as a quasi-radar of sorts.

Holl and Reinhard believe the discovery could potentially allow people to peek through walls at 10 images per second. The two worked on the study together at the Technical University of Munich, according to the American Physical Society.

"Wi-Fi imaging is not a new idea," the society writes in a synopsis of the two German scientist's findings.

"The principle is similar to that of standard radar technology, except that radar systems make use of tailor-made emitters that produce a wide range of frequencies (that is, they have wide bandwidths). Wi-Fi imaging, in contrast, would ideally use the relatively narrow bandwidths of commercial Wi-Fi sources."

Holl, an undergraduate student, and Reinhard, his academic supervisor, found that they were able to take the next step by using a Wi-Fi signal that reaches a detector instead of following past attempts in discarding some of the data.

The student explained to Business Insider that he and Reinhard's method used the Wi-Fi to make a three-dimensional hologram of an entire room. "It can basically scan a room with someone's Wi-Fi transmission," he told the outlet. Past attempts at doing so focused on tracking moving objects by using Wi-Fi antennas.

The two scientists used a commercial transmitter with a 5 GHz frequency. They placed an antenna a little more than two meters from a metal cross and made it scan on a plane, which "revealed the clear outline" of the cross."

"Because we record all available information--both direct illumination and reflections of the surroundings--our method should be the most accurate for localizing emitters and recognizing objects," Holl told the society.

"Wherever your laptop can get a Wi-Fi connection, we can record a hologram with a good signal-to-noise ratio."

Holl told Business Insider that the tech is still in the prototype phase with its limited resolution, but that its "promise" is exciting.