Hasta La Gadget!

With a chain being only as strong as its weakest link, so we are told to come up with long and complex passwords that make it hard for other humans to crack, although a computer armed with the right program could make short work of it. Having said that, Intel might just be venturing into a whole new world of passwords – one that does away with a slew of alphanumeric characters, and will instead rely on a new generation software and a biometric sensor which is capable of recognizing the unique patterns of veins on one’s palm.

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By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Intel completes successful Android 4.1 Jelly Bean port, We’ll be live blogging from IDF 2012,

Wouldn’t it be great if fitness and medical gadgets automatically knew who was wearing them? Researchers from Dartmouth have come up with a new way to provide health monitors just such an ability using a tiny electric current and a bioimpedance sensor. You see, each person’s body provides a different amount of opposition to electrical current, so bioimpedance can be a unique biometric identifier. The researchers’ idea is to create a bracelet that uses bioimpedance readings to recognize its wearer in a secure, unobtrusive manner and communicate that identity to other wearable devices.

Using such a bracelet, “the devices discover each other’s presence, recognize that they are on the same body (and transitively learn from the wrist device whose body), develop shared secrets from which to derive encryption keys, and establish reliable and secure communications.” As opposed to other biometrics or password authentication, bioimpedance readings can be taken passively, which is much more appealing than remembering passcodes or scanning fingerprints and retinas. For now, the researchers have created an eight-electrode proof-of-concept bracelet, but its accuracy leaves something to be desired — it correctly identifies its wearer only 80 to 90 percent of the time, whereas fingerprint recognition has a failure rate of less than 1 in 1,000. So, we’re a ways off from bioimpedance-based security, but research is ongoing, and you can learn all about it at the source below.

Filed under: Wearables, Science

Researchers use bioimpedance as a biometric, let health monitor devices know who you are originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 20:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Voice recognition technology from Nuance is all over the place — in everything from Smart TVs to Beemers. But today, in response to the growth of device-specific voice assistants like Siri and S-Voice, the company wants to take things down a different route: launching a mobile SDK for iOS and Android that any third-party app can employ. Baptized “Nina,” the voice assistant won’t only be able to understand instructions, but will also identify the speaker using vocal biometrics. That means Nina could potentially pay a bill, arrange a bank transfer, book a vacation or even interact with government services without ever requiring you to enter a password. The video after the break shows just how intimate things could get — assuming you’re able to find a spot where the two of you won’t be overheard.

Continue reading Voice assistant ‘Nina’ lets any app obey commands, makes speech your password

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs, Software

Voice assistant ‘Nina’ lets any app obey commands, makes speech your password originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 06:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s no secret that everyone has a unique swagger — so much so it can be used for identification. Many are working on this for biometric security, including a team at Carnegie Mellon University and Autonomous ID, who are collaborating on shoe insoles that monitor pressure and gait to confirm the identity of the wearer. So far, tests have shown a detection rate above 99 percent within just three steps, meaning they can alert you before that opportunist even makes it out of the locker room. It’s thought the cloud-connected BioSoles could be implemented in security access, although we’re not sure this offers advantages over similar, static technology also in development. We do, however, like the idea that subtle changes in your strut could be used to provide early indications of conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and diabetes. It’s likely that the insoles won’t be available any time soon, so until then, keep an eagle eye on those expensive kicks.

Continue reading BioSoles know you’re you within three steps, deter shoe bandits

Filed under: Wearables, Science

BioSoles know you’re you within three steps, deter shoe bandits originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 12:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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