Heart scans could now be used as biometric

Where most biometric procedures require fingerprints, iris scanning or facial recognition, researchers have created a device that can use person’s heart shape and size to unlock any device.

Researchers from the University of Buffalo have developed a computer authentication system that makes use of heart’s size and shape for granting access. If the person is standing in the correct place, the system would use its low-level Doppler radar to scan the heart’s dimensions, a process that takes up to 8 seconds and then continuously monitors it closely.

The authors exclaim, “We would like to use it for every computer because everyone needs privacy. Logging-in and logging-out are tedious.”

A camera that can see inside human bodies

If a person is free from any heart disease, the heart doesn’t change throughout their life. The method is supposed to be as reliable as the others and could even operate at longer distances. According to the team, this system could be beneficial at airports and can authenticate people from a distance of up to 98 feet away, and also be used to gain access to smartphones.

“No two people with identical hearts have ever been found, and people’s hearts do not change shape, unless they suffer from serious heart disease,” claimed the authors.

The radar’s power is also much less than that of WiFi, so it won’t even cause any damage to the heart. The system is almost 5 milliwatts and works out at less than 1% of the radiation given out my smartphones, reported Huffington Post.

As per claims, the technology is likely to be used in the measurement of electrocardiogram signals. The team believes that the technique, being safe and effective, can possibility serve as an alternative to the prevailing methods of passwords or biometrics. The team aims to reduce the size of the system so that it could be placed in the corner of a computer keyboard, installed on smartphones and also in airports, informed Engadget.