A group of researchers from the Weizmann Institute in Israel have presented an innovative technology that identifies a person’s individuality with an accuracy of 96.8% just by analyzing their breathing. The system uses a special wearable sensor that records breathing separately through the left and right nostrils for 24 hours. But the achievement is far from being limited to biometric recognition – it opens the door to entirely new methods of medical diagnostics.
The head of the study, neurologist Noam Sobel, explains that breathing is a “window to the brain” and is closely related to neurological processes. Through the sensor and the BreathMetrics analytical system, scientists not only identify people, but also capture connections between breathing rhythm and physical and mental states such as anxiety, body mass and other biomarkers.
Unlike clinical practices, which usually collect up to 30 minutes of breathing data, the experiment accumulates 24-hour profiles. This reveals new parameters and patterns that are invisible in short measurements. The results show that human breathing has a unique “fingerprint” – similar to fingerprints, but linked to brain activity.
Scientists believe that in the future the technology could be used not only for identification, but also for the early detection of a number of diseases. They even suggest that changing breathing patterns could serve as a therapeutic intervention for some conditions – from stress to neurodegenerative diseases.
Illustrative Photo by Vlada Karpovich: https://www.pexels.com/photo/an-elderly-couple-meditating-in-the-park-8940499/
