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WiFi signals can measure heart rate

(news.ucsc.edu)
463 points bookofjoe | 14 comments | 04 Sep 25 14:53 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source | bottom
1. TowerTall ◴[04 Sep 25 18:00 UTC] No.45130214[source]▶
Everyone’s heart is different. Like the iris or fingerprint, our unique cardiac signature can be used as a way to tell us apart. It can already be done from a distance using lasers [1].

[1] https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/06/27/238884/the-penta...

replies(2): >>45130436 #>>45134707 #
2. transpute ◴[04 Sep 25 18:18 UTC] No.45130436[source]▶
https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/22/whofi_wifi_identifier... | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44685869

> Researchers.. developed.. a biometric identifier for people based on the way the human body interferes with Wi-Fi signal propagation.. CSI in the context of Wi-Fi devices refers to information about the amplitude and phase of electromagnetic transmissions.. interact with the human body in a way that results in person-specific distortions.. processed by a deep neural network, the result is a unique data signature.. [for] signal-based Re-ID systems

replies(1): >>45132437 #
3. nashashmi ◴[04 Sep 25 21:30 UTC] No.45132437[source]▶
Tracking people walking through malls. Or even better: tracking everyone in the sidewalk of a NYC street after they commit a crime and where they end up at.
replies(2): >>45132645 #>>45132725 #
4. pempem ◴[04 Sep 25 21:52 UTC] No.45132645{3}[source]▶
Ah yes, tracking everyone. The one system that only leads to good outcomes.
replies(1): >>45132721 #
5. lemonberry ◴[04 Sep 25 22:02 UTC] No.45132721{4}[source]▶
Well, we know that tracking "everyone" would only lead to tracking a subset of everyone. A subset with a lot less money and power than those in charge of the tracking. Much like the guard or observer in the panopticon.
replies(1): >>45136890 #
6. palata ◴[04 Sep 25 22:02 UTC] No.45132725{3}[source]▶
Don't we have phones for that?
replies(1): >>45133483 #
7. anonporridge ◴[04 Sep 25 23:39 UTC] No.45133483{4}[source]▶
That only catches the stupid criminals, which to be fair is most of them.
replies(1): >>45136471 #
8. knowitnone2 ◴[05 Sep 25 03:22 UTC] No.45134707[source]▶
fingerprints don't change, heartbeats do. Every heartbeat is different so it'd be difficult to even tell which heartbeat is yours for any giving signature.
replies(1): >>45136265 #
9. TowerTall ◴[05 Sep 25 08:26 UTC] No.45136265[source]▶
from the linked article: But gaits, like faces, are not necessarily distinctive. An individual’s cardiac signature is unique, though, and unlike faces or gait, it remains constant and cannot be altered or disguised.
10. palata ◴[05 Sep 25 09:00 UTC] No.45136471{5}[source]▶
Not sure how many criminals that catches, but phones most certainly track everybody.
replies(1): >>45136883 #
11. nashashmi ◴[05 Sep 25 10:07 UTC] No.45136883{6}[source]▶
The CEO killer in NYC could have been tracked this way.
replies(1): >>45139976 #
12. nashashmi ◴[05 Sep 25 10:09 UTC] No.45136890{5}[source]▶
It might cause people to carry WiFi jammers.
replies(1): >>45138767 #
13. transpute ◴[05 Sep 25 14:06 UTC] No.45138767{6}[source]▶
> WiFi jammers

Any active RF broadcasting device would function as a "look at me" homing beacon.

14. cluckindan ◴[05 Sep 25 15:53 UTC] No.45139976{7}[source]▶
Or they just used the services of DomainAwareness.com