Wireless earbuds may soon identify you by your heartbeat

Researchers introduced AccLock, a passive biometric authentication system that uses standard earbud accelerometers to detect heartbeat-induced vibrations in the ear canal.

In tests with 33 participants, the system showed promising identification performance, leveraging ballistocardiography and deep learning.

Accuracy dropped when users were walking or talking, highlighting motion noise as a key challenge.

If improved, the approach could turn everyday earbuds into hands-free security devices for phone unlocks, payments, and smart-environment access.