Smart access security system senses finger vibrations
Dubbed “VibWrite,” the smart access system senses uses an inexpensive vibration motor and receiver to identify unique physical finger vibrations to verify users. According to the researchers, it could eventually be used to gain access to anything with a solid surface, such as homes, apartment buildings, vehicles, and appliances.
“Everyone’s finger bone structure is unique,” says Yingying (Jennifer) Chen, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rutgers University–New Brunswick and senior author of a paper of the project. “And their fingers apply different pressures on surfaces, so sensors that detect subtle physiological and behavioral differences can identify and authenticate a person.”
Built upon a touch sensing technique with vibration signals that can operate on surfaces comprising a broad range of materials, the system integrates passcode, behavioral, and physiological characteristics. It allows users to choose from PINs, lock patterns, or gestures to gain secure access.
According to the researchers, it is resistant to hacking attempts such as “side-channel attacks” – where a hidden vibration receiver on the surface or a nearby microphone is used to capture vibration signals – as well as attackers attempting to learn passcodes after observing a user multiple times. Key benefits, say the researchers, is the system’s low cost and low power.
“Smart access systems that use fingerprinting and iris-recognition are very secure,” says Chen, “but they’re probably more than 10 times as expensive as our VibWrite system, especially when you want to widely deploy them.
During trials, the researchers say, VibWrite has verified legitimate users with more than 95 percent accuracy with a false positive rate of less than three percent. Planned future improvements include the use of multiple sensor pairs, more refined hardware, and upgraded authentication algorithms, as well as further outdoor testing to account for varying temperatures, humidity, winds, wetness, dust, dirt, and other conditions.
Commercialization, says Chen, could probably come in a couple of years. For more, see “VibWrite: Towards Finger-input Authentication on Ubiquitous Surfaces via Physical Vibration.”
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