Video gamers, sci-fi fans, medical personnel, rescue, and security people would surely welcome this as they have been waiting for the technology that will be able to detect even your heartbeat from afar. Each type of people have different purposes for such technology such as monitoring patients, motion games, rescuing people in a fire, and of course, intruder detection.

For those who have played Rainbow Six and later on Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, the hearbeat sensor has been a great tool for detecting the enemy from a distance and it gives a huge advantage as you get to frag the opponent before they detect you.

Now, this is about to become a reality. Whilst still in a prototype form, a British Company, Plessey Seminconductors have developed the EPIC or Electric Potential Integrated Circuit. This sensor detects minute changes in the electric field, and since the human body also has electrical charges, changes in such the electrical field in human bodies can give ECG and EMG readings. Whilst these still need sensors for hospitals, they can be placed inside patient clothes so they can be monitored constantly, minus the wires (warning: video might bore you).

Increasing the sensitivity, the sensors can detect changes from afar, and thus have further applications beyond the medical field. These can be used in video games, motion detection systems, and assisting the disabled. If further miniaturised, the sensor and its accompanying system can be placed in even more portable system, such as game consoles; and for military applications, mounted on weapons systems, especially for Close Quarters Combat as the EPIC can detect motion in another room. This also goes for those looking for people inside a burning building.

The company plans this to be placed in consumer devices apart from video game controllers, and you can turn on home appliances by motion. The sensitivity of the EPIC makes it more precise to detect motion and for gaming controllers, even better gaming, and may just make lag a thing of the past.

It's not yet a sexy thing to look at, and the company may just license this to other manufacturers for different fields and they'll be able to package such technology to suit their purposes. If the plan of having this sensor also be available to general consumers, then developing "heartbeat sensors" mounted on airsoft weapons will surely follow, and that means the military industry would also want their hands on this.

Whilst waiting for this device, you better start practicing how to use it. With COD MW3's release on the 8th of November, then you will have a lot of time to be adept at it.