You no longer need to rely on passwords or biometric locks to keep your smartphone secure. Scientists have discovered a new login technology that can lock and unlock a device based on your heartbeat and breathing patterns. This system, called “Vital ID”, confirms the identity of users by analyzing their unique physiological signals. The biggest advantage of this new technology is that it does not require any major changes to the existing hardware of the device; Instead, it works by using sensors already in the phone.
What is Vital ID?
Researchers from New Jersey Institute of Technology, Temple University and Texas A&M University have jointly conducted this groundbreaking research. Vital ID technology is set to completely transform the way users login to various applications, websites and online services. Research has shown that Vital ID uses microscopic vibrations generated by a person’s breathing and heartbeat. These very small vibrations reach the brain through the neck.
This innovative technology was showcased at the 2025 ACM Computer and Communications Security Conference. It is specifically designed for use in Extended Reality (XR) environments. Since each person’s skeletal structure and tissue composition are unique, their associated physical signs also vary.
Works on the phone’s existing sensors
The researchers found that smartphones, tablets and other similar devices do not require any special hardware to use this technology. Instead, it works by using motion sensors already built into the phone or device. Many premium smartphones coming in the market today are equipped with these motion sensors. As a result, no additional hardware is required to get this system running; Vital ID only needs to be integrated through software. Once integrated, it is able to securely lock and unlock the device.
98% accuracy
To test the effectiveness of Vital ID, researchers conducted a 10-month study involving 52 participants using the XR headset. Throughout this testing period, the system successfully identified the correct user with an accuracy rate of more than 95 percent. This technique rejected unfamiliar users more than 98 percent of the time, indicating that it could prove highly effective in the future. The research team developed a filtering system designed to eliminate interferences caused by head movements or changes in position, ensuring that the device can only be locked or unlocked based on vibrations associated with heartbeats or breathing.
