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Future Cell Phone Knows You By Your Walk 156
jangobongo writes "Researchers at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland have come up with a unique way to secure your cell phone if it should get lost or stolen: 'Gait code'. Motion sensors in the phone would monitor the walking pattern (or gait) of whoever is in possession of the phone, and if the 'gait' doesn't match a pre-established biometric the phone would require a password to operate. The prototype cell phone correctly identified when it was being carried by someone other than its owner 98% of the time. The research team points out (powerpoint document) that this method could also work for PDAs, laptops, USB tokens, smart cards, wallets, suitcases, and guns."
But (Score:5, Funny)
Re:But (Score:2)
Re:But (Score:1)
Re:What if ... (Score:2)
Re:But (Score:2)
Re:But (Score:2)
[...]I want a hotline where I can call in time, place and license plate of people like that.
I tought that there was allready such a thing in every part of the civilized world! :-) At least in the province of Québec, you can dial *4141 on any cell phone for free and get connected to the provincial police (SQ) [gouv.qc.ca]. I call them all the time to report accidents and vehicules in distress.
Re:But (Score:1)
Re:Won't someone please think of the children? (Score:2)
cool tech, but dumb implementation (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:cool tech, but dumb implementation (Score:5, Insightful)
Because the device isn't secure at all when the owner turns off the password protection because they're tired of entering their password. If they only have to enter it 2% of the time, they're less likely to disable it.
I think we can both agree that password protection is better than nothing.
Re:cool tech, but dumb implementation (Score:2)
Re:cool tech, but dumb implementation (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:cool tech, but dumb implementation (Score:2)
Emm, I have my complete schedule on mine, contacts, email. It has cookies to online sites with auto-log in (e.g. eBay). It CAN be used to run up calls until the network can block it, including data calls. With many phones, you can do a hard-reset that brings them to an out-the-box state, including erasing the password. So, a smart crook might manage t
Re:what about your info stored on the phone (Score:2)
What kind of idiot sends anything that could be used to blackmail him over GSM - or any other phone network for that matter ? Either send an encrypted email, preferably from one free webmail provider to another so you can deny knowing anything about it if neccessary, or better yet, meet face-to-face.
Re:cool tech, but dumb implementation (Score:1)
Because it's an almost perfect way to save users the time of entering their password, the effort of locking their phone all the time, and/or the expense of having some steal and use their phone. Most phones won't let you enter more than a handful of password tries anyway.
Hmm... someone should do a statistical study to see what numbers (birthdates/years, phone numbers, etc...) people are most likely to use for th
Re:cool tech, but dumb implementation (Score:1)
Re:cool tech, but dumb implementation (Score:3, Insightful)
Up in Canada, it's nice to not have to take off your gloves. It's cold outside, and if you're carrying stuff in your other hand it can be difficult to do. (You end up trying to place a call with a glove held in your teeth.)
Also, a fingerprint scanner involves a surface on the telephone's exterior that has to be kept fairly clean and is vulnerable to pointy
Re:cool tech, but dumb implementation (Score:2)
The walking-thing works autmatically. No need to do anything, you can use your phone just as if it weren't protected at all.
PINs, fingerprinting and most other biometrics, require user interaction and are not automatic.
The advantage is pretty obvious. I really find it hard to believe that anybody can't see the advantage.
Re:cool tech, but dumb implementation (Score:2)
I'm sure someone out there has done such a study. Would be interesting to see the results.
I suspect a large fraction of all pin numbers are dates within the last 50 years, and a smaller fraction are historically important dates.
If you get a few trie
you dont exactly get it (Score:2)
i suppose for ultra security you could have the gait biometric which defaults to some other traditional biometric. but thats expensive and somewhat impractical for the average person.
Re:cool tech, but dumb implementation (Score:1)
Re:cool tech, but dumb implementation (Score:1)
The idea is not to make authentication better, but to have one! (as, once the mobile is on, you never have to enter the password again).
I don't know if in the USA it's such a big deal, but in Europe it's not uncommon for mobile thieves to use them to call to for
Re:cool tech, but dumb implementation (Score:2)
And don't give me the old song about how users should take responsiblity for their own information. Considering the number of people who are willing to give away their passwords for a candy bar [google.com], you simply can not tru
Re:cool tech, but dumb implementation (Score:2)
You can't get rid of the password backup, what if you injure your leg and need to call for help?
Re: (Score:2)
Won't Sell in Scotland (Score:5, Funny)
Imagine when you've had 6-8 pints of Heavy and you stumble out of the pub and try to phone a taxi.
Have you ever tried typing in a password after a gallon of beer?
Never mind, there's always the beer scooter.
Re:Won't Sell in Scotland (Score:2, Funny)
In Scotland you can just train it when you're drunk, and you'll be fine most of the time!
/me ducks.
Re:Won't Sell in Scotland (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Won't Sell in Scotland (Score:2)
Re:Won't Sell in Scotland (Score:1)
Re:Won't Sell in Scotland (Score:2)
That's not a bug, it's a feature!
Re:Won't Sell in Scotland (Score:2)
Ya bunch of shandy drinking lightweight weekend drinkers!! Just last night, in Glasgow, I had to unlock my phone to fire up the mp3 player on the way home from the pub. And use a touch screen do-da. Nae problem!! Practice is all it takes!!
Perhaps the big-girls-blouses down south in that-there Engerland might have issues...? Or anyone who drinks any of that weak stuff that passes for beer in some countries.
Re:Won't Sell in Scotland (Score:2)
Beer... what wee bairns drink....
(Of course, there are some lovely beers and stouts in Scotland, in all fairness)
Re:Won't Sell in Scotland (Score:2)
Great. (Score:2, Insightful)
So, someone gets hit by a car, struggles to their feet, limps along a bit and then pulls out their phone to call for help... and it doesn't work.
Nice one.
ever notice... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Great. (Score:1)
Used to detect drunkenness (Score:4, Insightful)
I R'dTFA, and they said that one of the things that alters the user's gait "code" is when they're drunk. If you paired a Bluetooth phone with a car, and added this, it could be a biometric way of making sure someone doesn't drive drunk. Just a thought.
Re:Used to detect drunkenness (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Used to detect drunkenness (Score:1)
Running/Lift/Escalator: All you'd have to do is walk a few steps down the next hallway/sidewalk/etc... and it would work.
Bag/Coat pocket/car: I don't know, I guess they have to work that one out.
Re:Used to detect drunkenness (Score:1)
Re:Used to detect drunkenness (Score:1)
"Awwwww, can't. I dropped my phone."
It's possible to take this "convergence" thingy way too far. The failure of one system should not cause the failure of another, unrelated, system.
KFG
Re:Used to detect drunkenness (Score:1)
Hey, it was just a thought. Relax.
Why don't they just make cars where you have to play a 10-second game of Simon before it starts? That would solve the problem!
Re:Used to detect drunkenness (Score:1)
I'm quite relaxed, but thank you for your concern.
Why don't they just make cars where you have to play a 10-second game of Simon before it starts?
A better solution, but they already have cars with ignition interlocks hooked up to more direct means of detecting the imbibing of alcohol. None of them are perfect, of course, as none of them ever will be.
KFG
Doesn't work in airports (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Doesn't work in airports (Score:2)
More importantly, this would only identify you correctly if you always carried the phone in the same orientation and location of your body. It's perfect for people who clip their phones to their belt. How about the many who carry it in a handbag, or in various pockets?
I think it's a great idea nonetheless, since it still increases the odds that a password protection scheme will actually be activated when it's needed.
For guns (Score:1)
The Slashdot Obvious (tm) (Score:5, Insightful)
And it all must be true, because the engineers who spent years designing this must be complete idiots, and would never think of these things on their own.
Ready, set, go!
Re:The Slashdot Obvious (tm) (Score:2, Interesting)
Ah, if only sarcasm were a form of proof. Unfortunately, history reveals that a bunch of people in lab conditions (or, indeed, even during controlled tests) may not actually think up everything. The ability be blinded by new science, to the detriment of old problems, is nothing new. Take Persil Power [wikipedia.org] for instance - years of R&D, along with voluminous testing in particular countri
Re:The Slashdot Obvious (tm) (Score:1)
If a police officer gets shot, I'm pretty sure he's going to be walking a little different. And not want to put in a password or anything before trying to shoot back.
Re:The Slashdot Obvious (tm) (Score:2)
Hey, maybe I could patent that!!
Re:The Slashdot Obvious (tm) (Score:2)
Re:The Slashdot Obvious (tm) (Score:2)
Most of the criticisms I've read so far sound basically correct. If you use this product, it will punish you for letting somebody else carry your equipment. It will
So... (Score:5, Funny)
Better biometric than fingerprints? (Score:3, Interesting)
This seems like a better choice of biometric than most, because unlike a finger, it can't be cut off or "cloned" using gelatin or another way of transferring the fingerprint. Now, it might be possible to invent a "bug" that records someone's gait and feeds it to a set of servo motors that convince the phone you're them, but that's beyond what most people's resources and significantly harder than picking up a latent fingerprint.
Re:Better biometric than fingerprints? (Score:2)
Look, if they want to use the cell that bad, they could just beat phone owner until he gives the PIN number.
I think he'd unlock it at the first sign of violence and say "GEE! I have only 1400 minutes left on my plan so here you go!"
Saying that security systems fail because you cut their finger off is a moot point because if you've gone
Re:Better biometric than fingerprints? (Score:1)
Theoretically, but I don't imagine a video camera would provide enough information to derive all of the axes of motion that the phone would experience as you walk. For example, if you filmed it from the side, you would see vertical motion and forward/back motion, but not side-to-side (hips) motion. It seems iffy.
He wasn't proposing a video camera. (Score:2)
Granted, there are practical considerations, as it would really need to be more on the person than in the belongings of the individual being monitored -- and unless they're cheap to produce and have wireless output, the individual trying to retrieve this information would generally want to
Wouldn't voiceprint be a lot easier? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Wouldn't voiceprint be a lot easier? (Score:2)
No reason to research them - finnish stores are already full of such shoes. Now, if someone would research shoes that don't cause me blisters if they recognize my voice...
The Genesis Phone? (Score:1)
It sounded eviler when our government did it (Score:1)
ooo.. I sound so fancy
Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Information_Aw
Stayin' Alive (Score:2)
I'm a woman's man: no time to talk.
I guess now I will have time to talk afterall!
Ah ah ah ah stayin' alive!
Mod Parent +Funny (Score:2)
Made me laugh!
-kgj
hooker with cell phones (Score:2)
Woot!
-kgj
'gait' (Score:4, Funny)
There's really no need to put the word gait in quotes. The definition of the word fits exactly with how they're using it. Maybe we should start randomly putting other perfectly cromulent words in quotes. Let me continue with the rest of that sentence:
</pedant>
Re:'gait' (Score:2)
Note: I'm not in the habit of defending the slashdot "editors", but on the other hand, it's pretty rare that I can think of any justification for defending them, which is why I put quotes around "editor".
News Flash (Score:1)
I'm sorry, officer Dave... (Score:1)
Dave? Dave? Are you there, Dave?
And one day... (Score:2)
Gait codes are simply too dependent on individual habits too be of any use. Plus, given enough time and a good enough heart, anybody can fig
Re:And one day... (Score:1)
Re:And one day... (Score:2)
Re:And one day... (Score:2)
Should have read 'outer ear'. Also, voiceprints would be more normal for a phone...
Not such a great idea. (Score:1)
98% of the time? That would be like having a password that people could guess 2% of the time. I'd rather have a password that people could guess 0% of the time. It's a neat idea, but especially if you're going to have sensitive information on the device, or the device can be used to make phone calls that you pay for, I would want something a little harder to duplicate than my gait.
critics missing the point (Score:5, Insightful)
Technology succeeds largely if it panders to one of the dominant human traits - lazyness.
If the gait thing means i can save 5 secs, or maybe more on a cold day with gloves that have to be taken off, it will have a good chance in the market.
Tough Call (Score:1)
Q:"How can you tell whether your cellphone was owned by a redneck?" A:"It only works when you're humping your sister"
As for wallets, well I guess folks tend to steal them for what's inside them. How many successful muggers grab your wallet, empty the contents on the floor and flee with the wallet, leaving you with all your cash and cards still intact.
Re:Tough Call (Score:1)
I'm Sorry.... (Score:1)
obviously (Score:1)
Yet another situation where it won't work... (Score:2)
Sitting or lying down? (Score:2)
phone?
Excellent application of biometrics (Score:2)
This is exactly the kind of thing that biometrics should be used for. Biometrics do not, in general, provide much in the way of security, but they can do a great job of making low-security systems much more *convenient* to use. Biometrics are an excellent choice when the alternative is no security at all.
This particular use is also good in that when the biometric technology fails, there is a backup (password) that is *more* secure than the biometric. In other words, it "fails safe", at least for false
sounds annoying (Score:1)
Yeah, sounds like a feature I'm dying to have.
Re:sounds annoying (Score:2)
Feature creep (Score:1)
I'm going to pick on T-mobile and Singular based on feedback from friends who use either service, spread across 4 states. Based on the adds, these two offer some of the widest array of features, like Family-Share plans and Rollover minutes. Based on why my friends tell me, they are also two of the absolute worst service carriers on the m
Imagine if you leg falls asleep (Score:2)
This feels sort of like DRM in a strange way (Score:2)
crime victims (Score:2)
Your gait changes over time, though... (Score:2)
Just a thought, not a criticism.
But how many times did it know the owner? (Score:2)
Emergency call (Score:2)
I don't get it (Score:2)
High-security gait scheme (Score:2)
for my ipod I use my regular walk to unlock it.
for my phone I add a slight spring to my step-- which you might say looks flaimboyant, but, whatever ya know-- higher security is cool-- in fact I talk about my gait-scheme at coffee shops a lot
for my really important flashdrive I have to walk on my hands... kinda a pain since it takes about 50 paces for it to authorize... but it's worth it knowing my gait is secure.
Re:Broken Foot (Score:2)
It goes to a password.
Re:Broken Foot (Score:2)
RTFS -
its main benefit over a password it that 90% of time you don't need to enter it, but you have all the extra sercurity
minor quibble (Score:2)
but, I don't think that is correct - can you post a ref to substantiate your claim that this is the exact phrase used ? I have spent time on the web, and never really come up with a def source
Good point... might save some embarrassment (Score:2)
Re:you won't see this (Score:1)
it' just handy, if you don't want to enter your password everytime you want to make a call. It's more safe than now, where everyone I know is running his cell phone at the most secure level of only ask for a password when turning on their mobile.
Pimp Roll (Score:2)
Tom Wolfe informs us, in Bonfire of the Vanities, that the swaggering gait affected by young black inner-city males is known as the Pimp Roll [google.com].
-kgj