VIDEO: Walabot DIY lets you see through walls

Home renovators and contractors alike can understand the frustration of hitting a pipe or stud unknowingly when drilling or cutting into a wall.

A new tool that has just arrived on Australian shores, named Walabot DIY, claims to take the hard work out of renovating by helping users detect studs, pipes and wirings behind walls.

It uses 3D imaging sensors and radio frequency technology to pinpoint where exactly the items are behind the wall, what material they are made of, and even the depth of the material.

It is developed by Vayyar Imaging in Israel which specialises in 3D imaging sensor technology. The company has produced a wide range of equipment that have allowed users to see through liquids or solid materials effectively, including a device that has been used to detect early stage breast cancer.

“So it’s actually cancer detecting sensor technology, now used to help you with home renovations, DIY projects, installations and more,” says Walabot DIY marketing director, Malcolm Berman.

The Walabot DIY is compatible with Android smartphones 5.0 and higher, and connects to the phone via USB on the go (OTG). Users simply connect the device to their phones, mount the phone on the device, open the app and start scanning their wall. Images of objects hidden behind the wall are then projected on the smartphone’s screen.

Walabot DIY can scan 10cm into the wall and lets users know how deep to cut or drill into the wall.

According to the developers, the tool is more than just a stud finder.

“It will call out that it’s a wooden or metal stud, and you can also trace the curvature of wires,” Berman says.

“You can also detect if you have insects or rodents hiding behind your walls and now, map large sections of your wall and see everything you scan in a single image.”

The wall-scanning feature mentioned is the new Pan mode, which was released just in time for the Australian launch of Walabot DIY.

The tool has been released to great success overseas in the US, UK and Germany, and is now being introduced in Australia where the DIY community is expanding.

“The product has grown over time and won’t be the tool you buy on day one,” Berman says.

“Even the features on this device today, is quite different from one or two months ago.

“We’ve got feedback from people wanting to see depth and map larger areas, and that sort of feedback helps us customise and upgrade the software. We have many more upgrades coming.”

Plans to make the Walabot DIY compatible with Apple’s iPhone are also in the pipeline.

“What we wanted to do was put the product on the market, hear from people what they want, what changes they want to see, and then really perfect the product to have a great customer fit,” Berman explains.

Additional features of the Walabot DIY include three sensing modes, adjustable sensitivity setting for optimal calibrations on particular projects, and the ability to seamlessly snap photo screenshots for use in offline analysis.

The Walabot DIY has an introductory price of $A165.