London - Researchers have come up with a security system, which recognises a person’s heartbeat as their password.
The new technology offers hope of electronics which people could simply pick up to unlock them.
Human heartbeats never quite repeat themselves, and each person’s heartbeat is unique.
Chinese researchers have discovered a way to mathematically identify a person’s beat in an instant and use it as a password.
“Because electrocardiogram signals vary from person to person, and can be used as a new tool for biometric recognition,†the Daily Mail quoted researchers at the National Chung Hsing University in Taichung, Taiwan.
Lead researcher Chun-Liang Lin used two ECG readings from people’s palms to determine the distinctive mathematical properties of their heartbeat.
They found that the number could be used as a password, and that the system is extremely secure.
Previous ‘biometric’ security systems using fingerprints can occasionally be tricked using photographs.
Lin’s system currently takes the user’s ECG reading from each palm once, and a key based on that reading is stored and used for all later decryptions.
Lin insisted that the goal is to build the system into external hard drives and other devices that can be decrypted and encrypted simply by touching them, New Scientist reported.
| Other Articles: |
 |
Google working on 'secret testing lab' worth $120mln (15th Feb, 2012) |
 |
Now, ‘smarter’ computer programmes that think like humans (14th Feb, 2012) |
 |
Soon, tool that radically boosts solar cells’ performance (14th Feb, 2012) |
 |
‘Rapunzel Number’ can help predict shape of any ponytail (14th Feb, 2012) |
 |
Darwin’ theory of origin of life on Earth proved right (14th Feb, 2012) |
 |
Air pollution may speed up cognitive decline in women (14th Feb, 2012) |
 |
Prolonged fructose intake does not up blood pressure (14th Feb, 2012) |
 |
Explosive evolution need not follow mass extinctions (14th Feb, 2012) |
 |
Regenerative therapy shows promise to reverse heart attack damage (14th Feb, 2012) |
 |
How our brain recognizes facial expressions (14th Feb, 2012) |
 |
New compound may disrupt HIV’s hijacking of immune system (14th Feb, 2012) |
 |
Promising therapeutic target for diabetes identified (14th Feb, 2012) |
 |
Radiation therapy transforms breast cancer cells into cancer stem cells (14th Feb, 2012) |
 |
Birds in ‘epic’ Iliad ‘strengthened warriors’ fighting spirit’ (14th Feb, 2012) |
 |
Simple surgery will correct crossed eyes (14th Feb, 2012) |
 |
Soon, touchscreen that works inside your pockets too (14th Feb, 2012) |
 |
Now, look inside a battery without destroying it! (14th Feb, 2012) |
 |
Google aims to move 'whole web forward' by launching Chrome for Android mobiles (14th Feb, 2012) |
 |
IT pros, SEBI wants you to track Facebook, Twitter (13th Feb, 2012) |
 |
Oz woman ‘growing’ world’s first bionic leg (13th Feb, 2012) |
 |
Tidal heating may leave some alien planets waterless (13th Feb, 2012) |
 |
Video games stimulate ‘more creativity than reading’ (13th Feb, 2012) |
 |
How protein protects immune cells from HIV infection (13th Feb, 2012) |
 |
Molecular secrets of ancient Chinese herbal remedy discovered (13th Feb, 2012) |
 |
YouTube invents algorithm for determining most amusing video (13th Feb, 2012) |