Heartprint

The Pentagon has developed a device that can identify a person by their heartbeat using lasers. Dubbed Jetson, it measures small vibrations induced by heart movement at distances up to 200 meters (over 600 feet) even through light clothing.

According to reports, the system was requested by U.S. Special Forces to augment other biometric techniques used to identify terrorists. Facial recognition is dependent on having a good frontal view of a face and can be obscured by beards or glasses. Gait analysis can also be easily deceived. But the Jetson algorithm used to identify unique cardiac signatures is claimed to be over 95 percent accurate under the right conditions.

It uses a technique called laser vibrometry, which focuses an invisible laser spot about the size of a quarter on the target. A special gimbal mechanism corrects for vibrations; however, the subject must be sitting or standing relatively still in order for the device to be effective.

Noninvasive systems for cardiac signature recognition could have many other applications. A wrist pulse sensor is already being tested as an alternative to fingerprint identification in Canada, and the technology may someday enable physicians to scan for cardiac conditions without the need for electrodes and leadwires.