The Pentagon has a laser that identifies people by their heartbeat

Jetson is a device capable of registering the heartbeat rhythm from a distance of 200 m and identifying a person on this basis. Apparently, this is a better method than the face recognition system.

Identification of people based on a registered face image or fingerprints has long been in common use. It is used by government agencies to identify rioters, as well as mobile phones belonging to us to unlock the screen. But these are only the most popular methods of such identification. In the context of increasingly invasive surveillance methods, it is worth taking a closer look at the technology that we learned about some time ago. This is a special technique developed by the Pentagon… heart rate measurements.

As in the case of fingerprints, the rhythm of each person’s heartbeat is unique. And it is also impossible to change it. For the same reason, the US special services commissioned to create an invention that can measure it at a distance. So a device called Jetson was created.

The equipment that still exists, which is used in hospitals to measure the pulse, requires contact with the patient’s body. Then, the corresponding sensors can perceive changes in the reflection of light caused by blood flow. Jetson works differently. It uses laser vibrometry to measure the movement of the body surface caused by a heartbeat. He can do it through a shirt or a thin jacket, but a winter coat is too difficult for him at the moment.

But the most important thing is that Jetson operates from a distance. It can measure a target at a distance of up to 200 m, and this range should be increased by using a better laser.