Heartbeat Detector

The U.S. Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory created the Avian Heartbeat Detector to detect the presence of people hidden in vehicles of all varieties, including fully loaded tractor trailers, by listening to the movements a beating heart gives off inside a vehicle.

The detector consists of a computer with specially developed software, a touch-screen monitor and special sensors. The operator uses the touch screen to select vehicle type prior to beginning the vehicle scan. The processed data provides the operator with a pass or search indication. According to Geovox Security, the completed process takes 15 seconds after the sensors are placed on the vehicle and the driver has exited the vehicle.

The computer system requires little maintenance and works on one screen with icons. The detector can be rented on a month-to-month basis and allows correctional officers the capability to search loaded vehicles without moving their contents.

State correctional agencies using the heartbeat detector for security include Texas, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas and Florida.