The project bears the signature of some Italian guys and revolves around the use of the heartbeat to unlock smartphones and tablets
One of the main areas in which technology experts focus is computer security. The goal is to develop increasingly effective protection systems against cyber criminals. Among these, we find the heart, the latest ally in the tough fight against hackers.
After the study conducted in New York by Binghamton University, the use of the heartbeat as a password is back in vogue. And not thanks to an invention or to some research carried out on the other side of the ocean. In fact, the credit goes to a group of young Italians. The boys, not even twenty years old and students of the E. Agnelli of Turin, have invented a technology that uses the electrocardiogram to block users' devices. A revolutionary technology that has earned the boys an important recognition during the Eucys, a contest dedicated to young scientists and promoted by the European Commission.
How the "cardiac" password works
The boys, after passing the initial phase of the national selection, will bring their idea to the final of the international competition to be held in Tallinn next September. Cardiold, this is the name given to the technology, makes it possible to exploit the electrocardiogram to store personal data contained in many electronic devices. The system amplifies the heartbeat, through electrodes placed on the wrists, digitizes the signal and transfers it to devices via Bluetooth connection. The experiments, which used the electrocardiogram of seven people, have demonstrated the success of this technology.
New techniques against hackers
There is still a long way to go, however, before such inventions become part of our lives. Will they always be able to "understand" if an electrocardiogram really belongs to the owner of a certain smartphone? The heart is a muscle and the heartbeat varies often. Despite the many problems, this kind of ideas allows to open new scenarios to counteract hacker attacks.