What Is a Heartbeat Sensor?

The heartbeat sensor, also known as the heart rate sensor or heartbeat detector, is a device used in different fields for different reasons. For medical use, it measures the heart rate of an individual. In terms of security it can detect people hidden in vehicles.

Heart Rate Sensor

• Medical heart sensors are capable of monitoring vascular tissue through the tip of the finger or the ear lobe. It is often used for health purposes, especially when monitoring the body after physical training.

Heavy Security

• The heartbeat detector was created by the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory as a way to detect the presence of hidden personnel in vehicles around laboratories (See Reference 2).

Military Equipment

• According to a PowerPoint presentation about Micropower Impulse Radio given by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and be found on the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s website, there are patents and research applications for military use of a heartbeat sensor. Among such uses are those that enable detection of people through solid obstructions.

Gaming

• Some video games use weapons with a special attachment, called a heartbeat sensor. These weapon attachments can detect both friend and foe even through walls.

Vehicle Options

• Some vehicles are capable of utilizing heartbeat sensors inside the vehicle. This sensor can tell if there is an intruder still in the car by detecting his heartbeat.