VibroSense’s creators see their creation as a tool to help people monitor energy usage in their homes, allowing them to reduce potentially wasteful consumption. VibroSense also promises to make your home “smart” without investing in new appliances or individual sensors for your existing ones. They say you could also use it to reduce water waste and avoid short circuits.

As compelling as all those capabilities sound, you probably won’t have a chance to buy VibroSense soon. The team plans to first present its findings at an upcoming computing conference. As you might expect, there are also kinks they need to work out. One concern is that VibroSense may pose a potential privacy risk if used in apartments and townhouses where multiple families live close to one another. In those living situations, it could pick up activities in neighboring units. Still, it’s an interesting approach that could one day inform other smart home devices.