Facial recognition? That's so 2018 - Protoype laser can reliably identify people based on heartbeat over 600 ft away

[rcmaehl]

Source:
Technology Review

 

Summary:

A prototype laser to be used by US Special forces can supposedly uniquely identify a person over 600 feet away by their heartbeat with 95% accuracy.

Quotes/Excerpts:

Quote

Everyone’s heart is different. Like the iris or fingerprint, our unique cardiac signature can be used as a way to tell us apart. Crucially, it can be done from a distance. A new device, developed for the Pentagon after US Special Forces requested it, can identify people without seeing their face. It works at 200 meters, longer distances could be possible with a better laser. “I don’t want to say you could do it from space, but longer ranges should be possible.” The new device, called Jetson, uses a technique known as laser vibrometry to detect the surface movement caused by the heartbeat. This works though typical clothing like a shirt and a jacket (though not thicker clothing such as a winter coat). The most common way of carrying out remote biometric identification is by face recognition. But this needs good, frontal view of the face, which can be hard to obtain, especially from a drone. Face recognition may also be confused by beards, sunglasses, or headscarves. Cardiac signatures are already used for security identification. The technology has been trialed by the Halifax building society in the UK. Jetson extends this approach by adapting an off-the shelf device that is usually used to check vibration from a distance in structures such as wind turbines. For Jetson, a special gimbal was added so that an invisible, quarter-size laser spot could be kept on a target. It takes about 30 seconds to get a good return. Jetson can achieve over 95% accuracy under good conditions, and this might be further improved. In practice, it’s likely that Jetson would be used alongside facial recognition or other identification methods. One glaring limitation is the need for a database of cardiac signatures, but even without this the system has its uses. For example, an insurgent seen in a group planting an IED could later be positively identified from a cardiac signature, even if the person’s name and face are unknown. Biometric data is also routinely collected by US armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, so cardiac data could be added to that library.

 

My Thoughts:

Something Something Surveillance state Something Something US Something Something China. Regardless, identification technology is greatly improving. Some people will enjoy the fact that someday we may not need to carry around an ID card and be able to use our body itself to identify ourselves; Others, including myself, are more concerned about anonymity. All I can really state at this time is... Scary, but Neat.

[theninja35]

I don't understand how this works, but I don't know anything about biology or identification...especially through the heart...but what if I start working out and my heart starts beating differently? Or if I start eating so much fat and sugar and let myself go and it goes way up? Will that affect identification?

 

I hope this starts a new trend of wearing winter coats absolutely everywhere and in every temperature.

[Doobeedoo]

Some heavy shit. 

[Shreyas1]

Irl pulse from r6 siege 

[cj09beira]

4 hours ago, theninja35 said:

I don't understand how this works, but I don't know anything about biology or identification...especially through the heart...but what if I start working out and my heart starts beating differently? Or if I start eating so much fat and sugar and let myself go and it goes way up? Will that affect identification?

 

I hope this starts a new trend of wearing winter coats absolutely everywhere and in every temperature.

my best bet is that its probably able to detect vibrations of the skin and use it to create a map of the heartbeat, which they then compare 

editt right on the money

going further: it bounces the laser of the skin and then measures how long it takes to reach the skin and come back, it has to be able to detect this very quickly, the difference between those times is the heartbeat (they also need to account for movement of the person as well)

[Brooksie359]

Time to always be using vibrating clothes to counteract this I guess. 

[rcmaehl]

34 minutes ago, Brooksie359 said:

Time to always be using vibrating clothes to counteract this I guess. 

Latex or similar would probably be preferable due to it being more rigid and easily vibrate-able.

[ScratchCat]

Time to become a volcanologist then.

 

[Gmoneyinthebank]

Why even need a laser?

http://people.csail.mit.edu/mrub/vidmag/

Eulerian motion amplification is so 2012

[williamcll]

We Call of Duty now.

[Bcat00]

Okay this is downright science fiction level, holy cow!

[FarAwayFromTheSun]

This is actually very stupid once they realize how easy it is to foil.

[mr moose]

Now put them on sharks and train the sharks to only eat certain people.

[The King of the Undead]

1 hour ago, mr moose said:

Now put them on sharks and train the sharks to only eat certain people.

Good luck I am landlocked!

[mr moose]

3 minutes ago, will1432 said:

Good luck I am landlocked!

It won't be long before they evolve and grow legs.   

 

Then you're all fucked,  a row of blood thirsty teeth on legs with a laser will be coming for you. 

[The King of the Undead]

5 minutes ago, mr moose said:

It won't be long before they evolve and grow legs.   

 

Then you're all fucked,  a row of blood thirsty teeth on legs with a laser will be coming for you. 

I live in the usa. angry farmers with shotguns!

[Sauron]

Quote

I don’t want to say you could do it from space, but

 

[Sauron]

1 hour ago, mr moose said:

Now put them on sharks and train the sharks to only eat certain people.

hah, joke's on them

[captain_to_fire]

So what are they trying to profile for biometric authentication? Is it...

• Cardiac Output 
• Heart Rate
• Heart Sounds (aortic, pulmonic, tricuspid, or mitral) 
• S1 and S2

I can see this kind of biometrics being fooled by an artificial pacemaker, but then I could be wrong. 

[mr moose]

21 minutes ago, will1432 said:

I live in the usa. angry farmers with shotguns!

Farmers with guns, sharks with lasers.  We're all fucked either way.

 

13 minutes ago, Sauron said:

hah, joke's on them

Hmmm,  I wonder of the darpa training would override the sharks desire to avoid that?

[Trik'Stari]

It would seem like wearing a small device or two capable of creating high frequency vibrations, and the right combination of materials in clothing, could completely nullify this.

[Sauron]

9 hours ago, mr moose said:

Hmmm,  I wonder of the darpa training would override the sharks desire to avoid that?

idk, in the movie the shark was going to blow up any second so it's not like it had anything to lose