Bio-Sensing with Lasors

Now Zapping People from a Quarter Mile Away

Welcome to the third article in the biosensor series! Last time we went over new and exciting technologies that utilize sweat to measure stress, glucose, other biological indicators.

Today, we will be looking into one particular startup that really aims to bring sci-fi to reality.

By now, you probably already know all the different ways we could take samples of blood, induce sweating, or even design smart-toilets- but what if we don’t have to take any samples at all?

Lets go get the blood pressure of THAT person!

ContinUse Biometrics is developing technology that uses a laser to measure biological parameters from up to a quarter mile away. Reportedly, fluctuations in the laser beam due to the vibrations of internal organs can give cues on vital signs, heart and lung sounds, and various muscle activity.

“We use optical methods to capture non-vibrations created by the movement of internal organs, chemicals, and molecules in the body of the subject that we are trying to sense” said Zeev Zalevsky, professor and Chief Technology Officer of ContinUse.

These lasers can observe nano-vibrations generated from when person’s heart beats or when they take a breath!

Using lasers to obtain biological data. Image from Digital Domain

Testing and validation is underway for over 20 biomedical parameters including- respiration, lung activity, temperature, blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, glucose and blood alcohol levels.

The company envisions it’s SmartHealth technology being used in hospitals to monitor patients. There also have been developments to fit cars and even cell phones with these biosensors to enhance road safety of drivers by measuring BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) and alertness.

As of 2018, ContinUse has raised over $20 million in series B funding which brings it’s funding total to $27 million.

My Perspective:

“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

For me, this is coming pretty close to that.

I don’t deny that it may be possible eventually to extract all the information that ContinUse claims that it can using lasers. There is however, many obstacles- like extreme levels of variance- that this startup would have to iron out.

ContinUse has not disclosed how exactly the technology works and any test cases that I know of. I also remain skeptical of the laboratory settings under which claims (for example the 0.25 mile detection distance) were made.

ContinUse claims that their technology works even though clothes. Image from Google.

Light measurements are traditionally known to be especially susceptible to interference. One question is thus, how robust is this system? Even if it has very high accurately in a laboratory setting- can it function in a hospital, home, or even a car?

Many more questions like these still need to be answered before I am sold on this technology. Currently, this just sounds too much like science fiction.

I am looking forward to be pleasantly proven wrong.