Reading heartbeats

Researchers have developed a camera that can read a person’s heartbeat at a distance and pinpoint signs that they might be suffering from cardiovascular illness. Using AI and quantum imaging, the system could transform the way we monitor our health.

The system involves high-speed quantum cameras which can record images at speeds of 2,000 frames per second. A laser beam is shone on to the skin of a person’s throat and the reflections used to measure exactly how much their skin is rising and falling as their main artery expands and contracts as blood is forced through it. These changes involve movements of only a few billionths of a metre.

The technology could be set up in public places or people’s homes. Monitoring a person’s heartbeat from a distance would be invaluable as irregularities would provide warning that they are in danger of suffering a stroke or cardiac arrest.

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