SVI Patents LiDAR Heart Rate Detection System

StereoVision Imaging (SVI) has received a patent for a system that can measure someone’s heart rate and breathing rate at a long range using LiDAR technology. The company is now working to develop a 4D FMCW LiDAR system that can take advantage of its latest patent.

The proposed dual chirp system will be able to detect subtle skin vibrations, giving users the ability to measure a person’s heart rate when the system is pointed at a major arterial region. The setup uses a similar methodology to gauge the breath rate, and can generate a unique biometric signature even when the measurements are taken at an extreme distance.

The remote heart rate monitor has obvious diagnostic applications in the healthcare industry. However, SVI is also planning to market the solution to the security and surveillance sector. The company noted that an elevated heart rate is a sign of stress, and that stress might be observed in someone engaged in some kind of illicit activity. With SVI’s system in place, anyone who tries to pass through a security checkpoint with an abnormal heart rate could be pulled aside for a secondary screening if they are flagged as a potential threat.

The SVI system would still support facial recognition and gait recognition in addition to heart rate detection. In the case of gait and heart rate recognition, the system would first need to analyze someone’s movement and circulatory patterns to create a biometric template. That template can then be used as a reference during subsequent scans to highlight possible anomalies. An altered gait, for instance, could point to the presence of a concealed weapon.

“To the best of our knowledge, SVI is the only 4D LiDAR company with proven patented technology for remotely monitoring cardiovascular and breathing signals,” said SVI President Gregory Steinthal. “With this technology we plan to create an unmatched solution for addressing the most challenging of security entry applications, as well as for medical and other important applications.”

SVI recently partnered with IDEMIA to develop tactical biometric solutions, and has previously provided LiDAR surveillance technology for the US Army. The new patent will be added to the five continuation patents SVI received in December, including one that details a system that uses multiple lasers to take more accurate measurements of moving objects at range. The company now has more than 60 patents and over 40 patents pending in its portfolio.

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February 18, 2021 – by Eric Weiss