The Pentagon has developed a laser that can identify people — from a distance of up to 200 metres — by their heartbeat, MIT Technology Review, reported.

The technology, called Jetson, uses laser vibrometry to identify surface movement on the skin caused by a heartbeat, said the report. Every individual has a unique cardiac signature that cannot be changed or copied, which makes the technology far efficient than the existing methods of biometric identification such as facial recognition.

According to the report, the accuracy rate of the new technology is 95 percent.

However, the report added that the technology does have its own share of challenges. Though it will be able to work well if a person is wearing regular clothing, it will find it difficult to function against thick garments such as winter coat, the report said.

The system currently takes approximately 30 seconds to collect necessary information, which means, for now, it can only work for a target either sitting or standstill, the report further mentioned.

But none of these factors undermines the military and surveillance value of the technology, the report said, adding that the method could be a big asset for the healthcare sector as well as it will enable doctors to check heartbeats without touching the patient and allow hospitals to wirelessly monitor a patient's vitals.

First Published:Jun 28, 2019 1:49 PM IST