  In recent years, there has been a shift of interest towards the field of
biometric authentication, which proves the identity of the user using their
biological characteristics. We explore a novel biometric based on the
electrical activity of the human heart in the form of electrocardiogram (ECG)
signals. In order to explore the stability of ECG as a biometric, we collect
data from 55 participants over two sessions with a period of 4 months in
between. We also use a consumer-grade ECG monitor that is more affordable and
usable than a medical-grade counterpart. Using a standard approach to evaluate
our classifier, we obtain error rates of 2.4% for data collected within one
session and 9.7% for data collected across two sessions. The experimental
results suggest that ECG signals collected using a consumer-grade monitor can
be successfully used for user authentication.
