Login without password-fingerprint? The headset will detect heartbeat and breathing, know what is VitalID technology?

New Delhi: Nowadays, logging into apps and websites has become a daily necessity, but remembering different passwords or using fingerprint-Face ID repeatedly can be tiring. Now scientists have found a unique solution. And that is VitalID. This technology logs the vibrations generated by your body’s natural movements, such as your heartbeat and breathing.

The login method will change completely

Instead of typing a password, scanning your face, or providing your fingerprint, VitalID will recognize you without any extra effort. It is specially designed for Extended Reality (XR) i.e. Virtual and Augmented Reality headsets. Researchers from Rutgers University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Temple University and Texas A&M University have worked together on this.

How does VitalID work with breathing and heartbeat?

When we breathe or the heart beats, this causes very small vibrations to reach the neck and skull. Every person’s bone structure, facial tissue and skull shape are slightly different, so these vibrations are also completely unique. The motion sensors already installed in the headset capture these vibrations and identify the user.

There is no need to install any new hardware for this. Just software update is enough. Professor Yingying Chen of Rutgers University says that if XR devices are becoming a part of our everyday lives, then login should also be easy, consistent and secure.

How successful was the system in testing?

Researchers tested 52 people for 10 months using two popular XR headsets. The results were quite encouraging, with the correct user being identified more than 95 percent of the time. At the same time, the unauthorized person was blocked in more than 98 percent of the cases.

The team has also created a special filtering system, which isolates large movements like head movement or walking. The focus remains only on breathing and small vibrations of the heart. It may be possible to mimic someone’s breathing, but it is extremely difficult to accurately mimic the vibrations passing through the skull. This greatly reduces the risk of fraud.

How useful will VitalID be in the future?

Access to banking, personal information or sensitive data is now becoming easier in XR headsets. In such a situation, typing by hand or 2-factor authentication may become difficult. VitalID works silently in the background, without requiring the user to provide any input.

This technology is not yet available in the market, but is ready for licensing and its provisional patent has also been filed. It was introduced at the ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security in 2025.