NASA to licence heartbeat biometric patent and subcutaneous vein imager

NASA has launched a new heartbeat biometric patent for commercial licensing to enable developers and solutions integrators to offer the technology for applications like device or bank account access, Nextgov reports.

The U.S. space agency licenses innovations developed in its labs through its Technology Transfer Program, and launched HeartbeatID to the TTP along with several other technologies that may be useful in biometric or other biotech systems.

In theory, the HeartbeatID invention detects electrical actions to use as biometric data, making it sound like ECG recognition, which the Pentagon and academic researchers have been working on, along with several commercial players. NASA says it could also be used for a range of applications, mostly involving personal, online, or national security.

A new Subcutaneous Structure Imager can locate veins in people who are particularly young, elderly, dark-skinned, obese, or otherwise challenging to vein detection systems. Compared to the state of the art in vein image-capturing, the imager is inexpensive, compact, and highly portable, making it appropriate for third-world, emergency response, or military deployments, according to the agency.

Combined with vein recognition algorithms, the technology could also presumably be used to identity individuals.

NASA has also developed a durable, wireless wearable device it calls Portable Unit for Metabolic Analysis (PUMA), which takes highly precise measurements of a subject’s metabolic functions, such as oxygen intake, heart rate, and temperature, in real-time.

The agency is accepting licensing applications for each of the new technologies until February 21, 2021.

Article Topics

biometric data  |  heartbeat  |  identity verification  |  licensing  |  patents  |  U.S. Government  |  vein recognition