Researchers Develop Heartbeat Decoy to Thwart Radar Surveillance

Rice University team builds MetaHeart device to spoof radar-based heart rate monitoring

Feb. 9, 2026 at 3:31pm

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Researchers at Rice University have developed a device called MetaHeart that can fool radar-based heart rate tracking systems by generating a fabricated heartbeat signal. The device uses a programmable metasurface to manipulate the radar waves and replace a person's actual heart rate with a decoy pattern, protecting their privacy from potential surveillance.

Why it matters

Biometric tracking through technologies like radar-based heart rate monitoring is becoming more prevalent, raising concerns about privacy and the potential for abuse. MetaHeart provides a countermeasure against these radar-based surveillance systems, allowing people to shield their vital signs from being monitored without their knowledge or consent.

The details

The MetaHeart device works by placing a programmable metasurface between a person and the radar. This flat, electronically controlled panel manipulates the radar waves, reflecting back a fake heartbeat signal instead of the person's actual heart rate. In tests, the device was able to spoof heartbeat readings with over 98% accuracy, even when the person was present but their true heart rate was replaced with a decoy pattern.

  • The research was published in the journal Computer Communications in February 2026.

The players

Edward Knightly

A professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rice University and the senior researcher on the MetaHeart study.

Dora Zivanovic

A graduate student in Edward Knightly's lab at Rice University and a co-author of the MetaHeart study.

Trudy

A hypothetical malicious intruder armed with a radar sensor, used in the researchers' study scenario to illustrate the threat of radar-based heart rate monitoring.

Alice

A hypothetical unwitting target being monitored by Trudy in the researchers' study scenario.

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What they’re saying

“We fool the radar on the level of the electromagnetic signal itself. You can program the device with any heartbeat pattern you like.”

— Dora Zivanovic, Graduate student

“Sensing technologies are becoming higher resolution and more pervasive, and concerns around what that means for privacy should be taken seriously. It is important to explore potential vulnerabilities and think about how we might address them.”

— Edward Knightly, Professor

What’s next

The researchers plan to further test the MetaHeart device at longer distances and through barriers, as well as scale up the metasurface to handle scenarios with multiple people being monitored at once.

The takeaway

The development of MetaHeart highlights the growing need to address privacy concerns around the increasing use of biometric tracking technologies, such as radar-based heart rate monitoring, and the importance of exploring countermeasures to protect individuals from unwanted surveillance.