Tel Aviv-based Vayyar Imaging announced today that the company has raised $109 million in a late-stage round led by Koch Disruptive Technologies.

Vayyar is a company that creates advanced, specialized sensors that use radio frequency imaging to “see” things that optical sensors (such as cameras) cannot detect. This technology allows Vayyar sensors to see through walls, around objects and even inside people in order to detect malignant tissues (for medical solutions).

Although the company has greatly expanded its scope since its launch in 2011, Vayyar is best known for its consumer product brand Walabot.

With radar-enabled technology, Walabot protects privacy by not recording audio or video, instead, it can only “see” a limited amount that it then uses to make observations about the world.

Within a smart home, these sensors can be used to watch human movement around the house to activate smart home actions — such as turning on lights or adjusting air conditioning — detect smoke and fire, identify insect and rodent infestations within walls and even detect human falls that could result in injury.

As the technology is also capable of seeing through objects, it can even “see inside” people in a limited sense, as a result, it is capable of monitoring the vital signs of sleeping humans and sounding an alarm when abnormalities in breathing or heart rate are detected.

Outside the home, Vayyar has also expanded its reach into industries such as medical, automotive, vehicle automation, construction and security.

“Advancements in imaging sensors are vital as technology continues to disrupt all aspects of society,” said Chase Koch, president of Koch Disruptive Technologies. Koch added that his company sees “incredible potential” in Vayyar’s technology and that this partnership will lead to “breakthroughs in a wide range of industries.”

The sensors are state-of-the-art chips that do imaging using radar bands from 3 to 81 GHz, with up to 72 antennas on each chip and an integrated high-performance digital signal processor. The multi-antenna sensor produces extremely high accuracy detection, which enables high-resolution 3D point-cloud images across time. Vayyar’s sensors can also work in any environmental conditions and are unaffected by line-of-sight, lighting or weather conditions.

The Series D funding round brings the total raised by Vayyar to $188 million. Regal Four also joined the round alongside existing investors including Battery Ventures, Bessemer Ventures, ICV, ITI, WRVI Capital and Claltech.

Image: Vayyar Technologies