Whether it’s heart rate, breathing rate or muscle activity, there are wearable devices that are capable ofmeasuring just about biometric data point you can think of. But what about no-contact methods of measuring that don’t involve physically touching you at all? That is something researchers from Israeli startupContinUse Biometricshave been working on. Their resulting device — capable ofmonitoring these vital signs from meters away— is set to hit shelves as soon as the end of 2018. And it all works thanks to the wonder of lasers.
“The technology has been investigated for eight years in my lab, in collaboration with the lab of Professor Javier Garcia from Valencia, Spain,”Zeev Zalevsky, professor of electrical engineering and nanophotonics at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, told Digital Trends. “Two years ago, it was commercialized to ContinUse Biometrics, which is going to release its advanced prototypes toward the end of 2018. During the eight years of research, various sensing capabilities were investigated involving vital signs: Blood pressure, hematology, hemodynamics, and more. ContinUse’s first product is focusing on vital signs and blood pressure, [in addition to heartbeat and respiration.]”
The SmartHealth Mod technology can measure these biometrics from a distance, even through a person’s clothes. It works by using a laser to illuminate a person’s chest, and a special camera fitted with optics which allow it to analyze backscattered light. When a person’s heart beats or they breathe, this causes unique “nano-vibrations” in the body which are observable by the device. These tiny vibrations can be associated with different biomedical parameters.
Using higher quality lasers and cameras, the device could reportedly be used to monitor people from as far as 0.25 miles away. Adding an extra magnetic field also allows it to estimate glucose levels in a person’s blood.
