Fujitsu smartphone can check your pulse

Fujitsu has unveiled a smartphone that can take a person's pulse by looking at their face.

Fujitsu's camera can measure a person's pulse. Photo: AFP

Pointing the smartphone camera at a person's face for around five seconds will give an accurate reading of their pulse, Fujitsu says.

The Japanese firm says the technology could be available within a year and could have health benefits as well as possible security applications.

The application works by analysing variations in a person's face caused by the flow of blood through numerous blood vessels running through the face.

"Even at a busy workplace, or any time a person is sitting in front of a PC, whether for teleconferencing or writing e-mails, their pulse can be measured during brief moments of quiet," the company said in a press release.

The company suggests that cameras at concerts or other events could monitor crowds to spot people who are in poor health. At airports, the technology could be used to identify people who are acting suspiciously.