05/29/2026
Learn more about the Innovate Rutgers May 2026 Technology of the Month!
The May 2026 Technology of the Month is 𝗩𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 (𝗫𝗥), developed by a collaborative team of Rutgers University School of Engineering Distinguished Professor and Department Chair Yingying (Jennifer) Chen, Temple University associate professor Yan Wang, NJIT Ying Wu College Of Computing assistant professor Cong Shi, and Texas A&M University College of Engineering professor Nitesh Saxena.
As extended reality (XR) experiences become more immersive, traditional authentication methods like passwords, PINs, and gaze-based verification are no longer sufficient, as they interrupt the user journey and fail to protect against mid-session impersonation once access is granted.
Dr. Chen and her collaborators have developed technology which enables continuous and robust user authentication in extended reality environments by capturing and analyzing low-frequency mechanical vibrations generated by users' vital signs, such as breathing and heartbeat. These vibrations cause the skull to produce harmonic signals that carry unique biometric information, which is captured through built-in motion sensors in XR headsets. Using adaptive filters and attention-based deep learning models, the system processes these signals to reliably authenticate users without requiring any additional hardware. The innovation provides high accuracy with a true positive rate above 95% and unauthorized user rejection over 98%.
This technology is available for licensing and/or research collaboration. For more information, click here: https://go.rutgers.edu/423faeec.
To search for other available Rutgers technologies, visit techfinder.rutgers.edu.
Rutgers Research Rutgers University—New Brunswick AUTM
