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Communications Handhelds Hardware Technology

NTT's Cool - Human Area Networking Technology 248

Posted by timothy from the closer-to-fruition-since-last-mention dept.
kvsnut writes "I4U is reporting about NTT's research project called RedTacton - It 'safely turns the surface of the human body into a data transmission path at speeds up to 10 Mbps between any two points on the body.' There is a pretty interesting site (uses flash) setup to showcase the technology. If you want to jump to a non-flash overview, try here. It be cool if I could sync my Treo (I'm saving for) by just touching a cradle (or heck the PC)."
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NTT's Cool - Human Area Networking Technology More

NTT's Cool - Human Area Networking Technology

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  • This sounds awesome... (Score:5, Funny)

    by rekenner ( 849871 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:01AM (#11741943) Homepage
    Damn. I've always wanted to copy and paste between computers. This could be a dream come true for people that have to work on a large number of computers for a short amount of time...

  • Hands Across America (Score:5, Funny)

    by Kip Winger ( 547075 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:01AM (#11741944) Homepage
    I see immediate applications for this technology -- we need to bring back Hands Across America to create the information superhighway of the 21st century!

  • Use Bluetooth (Score:4, Insightful)

    by SiMac ( 409541 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:02AM (#11741951) Homepage
    What's the point beyond the coolness factor? Palm devices can already sync via 802.11b or Bluetooth. Wireless technologies can already go faster than 10 mbps, and are cheap and well-tested. If we can transmit data through the air, why do we need to transmit it through our bodies?

    • Re:Use Bluetooth (Score:2, Insightful)

      by ingo23 ( 848315 )
      It may be more secure than bluetooth - you need a physical contact. So for something like a digital keychain it would be quite convenient. It could be more practical than fingerprints (less errors) and let you authenticate just by touching the sensor.

      On the other side, I will need another firewall for this!!!

    • Re:Use Bluetooth (Score:3, Insightful)

      by drinkypoo ( 153816 )
      It would be awfully handy for implanted computers, like pacemakers. Wireless should be used only in situations where it is necessary. If contact is convenient it is a better idea. Air gaps are good. For instance when we finally get around to implanting systems to improve our senses we are going to want ways to pipe data in and out of them. Would you like your senses to be on tap (or for rent) wirelessly? I didn't think so. On the other hand, you could have optical and audio interfaces implanted, and have a

    • Re:Use Bluetooth (Score:5, Interesting)

      by LionKimbro ( 200000 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:10AM (#11741999) Homepage
      Well, here's one thing: Security.

      One thing we lost when we went from wired to unwired is security.

      That is: A physical cable is a physical incarnation of authorization. Without that cable, we now have to put password mechanisms and other authorization stuff into previously simple connection.

      This body network is another, easier, mechanism for authorization. If the two components are connected by your body, they are authorized to talk with one another.

      Now we just have to worry about people running past to touch you, in order to steal the photographs off your camera, or whatever.
    • I would not be surprised if this requires significantly less power than a wireless solution for its given amount of bandwidth.

      Also, this technology would give new meaning to the term "handshake."

    • kick-ass application (Score:3, Interesting)

      by chazmims ( 648200 )
      I'm just waiting till I can buy my new HAN watch with all my environmental preferences and ssh key hash. I'm imagining sitting at any computer and as soon as my hands touch the keyboard, it configures it the way I like it. Heck, at 10mbps, given sufficiently small storage, My hands could touch the keyboard and it could connect to the PC on my wrist for all the data and programs I take with me all the time. PC terminals will replace desktop PCs and even laptops. The PC becomes truely personal, something y

  • Yes... it's perfectly safe (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:05AM (#11741972)
    Incidentally NTT requests that the press refer to the technology's dermatological side effects as "a healthy tan!" rather than "cooking"

  • Get ready to say ... (Score:5, Funny)

    by OldManAndTheC++ ( 723450 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:08AM (#11741985)
    "No honey, you're not fat, you just have lots of bandwidth!"

  • Let's see... (Score:5, Funny)

    by inertia187 ( 156602 ) * on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:08AM (#11741989) Homepage Journal
    What do you call a Human Area Network that's by itself? HAN SOLO!

  • We're not having sex... (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:08AM (#11741991)
    ... we're putting together a local area network!

  • Porn,...... (Score:2, Funny)

    by m93 ( 684512 )
    Think of what we can now do with Electronic porn...
    • Think of what we can now do with Electronic porn...

      Finally a way to combine the destructive power of computer viruses and biological viruses!

  • So not new tech (Score:5, Insightful)

    by way2trivial ( 601132 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:11AM (#11742005) Homepage Journal
    http://domino.research.ibm.com/Comm/bios.nsf/pages /pan.html [ibm.com]
    From 1997 at IBM

  • Warning: (Score:5, Funny)

    by spankey51 ( 804888 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:14AM (#11742019)
    -Use 220V power sources only!
    -System WILL NOT function properly if flyback transformer output is BELOW 500 KV.
    -If bleeding from the ears or urinary tract occurs during use, consult medical assistance immediately.
    -DO NOT use in bathtub, shower, or rain.
    -Conditions of high humidity should be avoided as electrical arcing may occur between peripheral devices on user.
    -People with braces or a pacemaker should refrain from use of this product.

  • Mobile Phone data transfer (Score:5, Interesting)

    by davejenkins ( 99111 ) <slashdot&davejenkins,com> on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:16AM (#11742030) Homepage
    The real drive behind this is the usage for mobile phones. Here in Japan, mobile phones have become the dominant data handling device. Phones here have the full rolodex, appointment calendar, mp3 player, as well as Final Fantasy/Tetris/CowboyNeal game-of-choice. There are adapters coming online now that will let people browse MSWord and Excel files via their mobile.

    But the drive here is a great social need: when groups go out to dinner, friends, co-workers, business partners, etc. there is always this 10-minute ritual where everyone has to call everyone else in the group, in order to capture their phone number and contact information. If NTT can issue phones where everyone trades this information by touching hands, then they have an edge over the others.

    Japanese protect their privacy vehemently, but are also information hoarders much greater than their US or EU equivalents. Phone rolodexes are huge-- people have every contact they met in the last 4 years (which is in the thousands if you work in Tokyo).

  • The early adopters of every new tech.... (Score:5, Funny)

    by valdis ( 160799 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:19AM (#11742042)
    pr0n. After 10,000 years of leading technological innovation, they finally have a way to deliver it directly where it matters....

  • Handshaking (Score:4, Interesting)

    by xee ( 128376 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:19AM (#11742043) Journal
    Could our PDAs swap business cards via a handshake? What will come next? VIRUSES?
    • I bet sex would result in better conductivity than handshakes, too. If that's the case, then having sex would put you at a greater risk of infection.

  • MS already patented this, right? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by MaskedKumquat ( 522312 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:23AM (#11742061)
    I have to wonder if these [uspto.gov] patents [uspto.gov] will have a chilling effect on their ability to compete in the marketplace.

  • Good thing (Score:3, Interesting)

    by aprosumer.slashdot ( 545227 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:26AM (#11742076) Homepage

    I think this would be a good thing, since this technique would make it feasible to interface your 'preferences' (stored on a wearable computer) to various electronic or smart gadgets (a smart car/house/etc) so that as soon as you touch it, then the smart gadget is customized to you.

    I suppose a simple application, would be if all cars supported this, then as soon as you touched the door latch then: 1) The car door would open, since the car verified who you were. 2) The seat would adjust to your body height 3) The radio would automatically tune itself to your preferences 4) Your playlists would be imported into the radio.

    Your preferences can be stored in something relatively small. For example your watch can have this technology and it transmit your preferences to whatever smart gadget you touched.

    What would really be neat, is if there were some method of biofeedback so that you could configure your preferences by 'thinking about it'. At that point, we would have something similar to the "Ancient's 'Automated' Technology" as shown on StarGate: Atlantis tv show.

  • "safely"... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by ABeowulfCluster ( 854634 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:29AM (#11742088)
    Once, smoking cigarettes was considered 'safe'. Putting radio waves thru the human body is never a great idea.
  • Just imagine a beowulf cluster of people!

    True all we have is bandwidth, but this is starting to cross the line between people and computers. If we learn a way to interface with the human brain through this system then the skys the limit!
  • TechWorld.com has a fairly detailed article on RedTacton, in which it says this about the concern of electric shocks: "The transceivers, which require a PCMCIA card to connect with an electronic device, use several hundred milliwatts of power and are insulated to avoid electric shocks. As with many items of household electrical equipment, like TVs and kettles, the transceivers do emit very weak electromagnetic fields, but the levels are in compliance with guidelines issued by Japan's Ministry of Internal Af

  • Nice, but diseased (Score:3, Interesting)

    by tomsuchy ( 813628 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:42AM (#11742144)
    This would probably be great for one's own devices (cell, palm) but using it for auths exposes the toucher to a variety of diseases, especially from public interfaces. People would probably be loathe to use this to pay for something, if they have to touch a contact point that's been touched by everyone before them.

    Also, there's the possibility that someone could pick up your auth sig from a handrail or doorknob or something... unless you have to enable the auth for something like the next transaction, or the next x seconds, or key in some kind of id that indicates which touch is authorized. That adds a level of complexity that defeats the whole point of the touch interface.

  • Better than Biological Authentication. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by stephenisu ( 580105 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:46AM (#11742158)
    The biggest market I see for this (other than the obvious marketing/spy novel stuff) is user authentication. People like myself fear bioauthentication because, well if someone steals your identity, you are pretty much boned.

    With this system, you can have a separate heavily encrypted key for each device you touch, and it can be changed if the need arises.
    Death to all passwords!

    You could know who entered each and every keystroke!

  • Take my HAND baby! (Score:5, Funny)

    by Money for Nothin' ( 754763 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:48AM (#11742174)
    So how long until I can purchase a Human Area Networking Device?

    Bring on the sex jokes now...

  • Microsoft Patent? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Tellalian ( 451548 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:50AM (#11742180)
    Didn't Microsoft already patent something similar?

    Microsoft Patents The Human Body As A Network Bus [masternewmedia.org]

  • Tech Support (Score:4, Funny)

    by Rie Beam ( 632299 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:51AM (#11742184) Journal
    I can already hear the Tech Support calls...

    Support: "Hello?"
    Customer: "I'm having some trouble with my HAN. It's constantly dropping packets!"
    Support: "Well, what are you downloading?"
    Customer: "Would you believe me if I said 15GB of Lesbian videos?"
    Support: "Please hold."

  • RedTacton enabled mouse (Score:3, Interesting)

    by SpeedBump0619 ( 324581 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @12:56AM (#11742202)
    Seems to me that the obvious entry point is a new wireless optical mouse with this built in. Then you could buy (or it ships with) a memory unit that the user wears. Poof, instant computer usage...secure password storage, configuration data, small files of any kind.

    My two questions are:

    1) can I do a multidrop connection. There is precious little detail about whether my cell phone, pda, mp3 player, watch, HUD (hey I can dream) all play together seamlessly. If so this will kick so much ass.

    2) IIRC the field surrounding the human body is fairly unique to each person...can it be used as part of a biometric system through such a device. This seems kind of unlikely, but would be an interesting low security id system.
  • ..."flesh light". [shivers at the thought of what people will use to network with]
  • As an added feature, it delivers 500 volts to the approprive area when watching "Paris Hilton Live!"
    • Yes ... something that sent me into a coma if I were forced to watch an episode of the "Simple Life" would be very beneficial!

      Think of it as a anti-interegation device ;)
  • And we wonder way cancer is so rampant.

  • ...and for the paranoid... (Score:3, Funny)

    by PornMaster ( 749461 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @01:06AM (#11742240) Homepage
    Yes, when you put on your tinfoil hat, it will spark a little. This is normal operation.

  • Not new (Score:3, Informative)

    by lma ( 109377 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @01:10AM (#11742257) Homepage
    Using human skin as the medium to conduct signals for communications is a concept that has been around for years. See for example this computer.org article [computer.org] (PDF).

    Someone else mentioned the Microsoft patent [engadget.com].

    The interesting thing about Microsft's patent is that it includes power, not just data.

    Larry

  • I wonder if something like this could be tapped through clothing, by standing next to someone or simply shaking hands with someone. I would be very nervous using this to transmit vital information.

  • Uses what? (Score:4, Funny)

    by nick_davison ( 217681 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @01:15AM (#11742279)
    Was I the only one who misread that as:

    There is a pretty interesting site (uses flesh)
  • This made me think me and a few friends could possibly slashdot a server just by touching it, and that made me laugh evilly?
  • Wow, this gives the Man In The Middle attack a whole new meaning!

  • an exciting new way... (Score:3, Funny)

    by PsiPsiStar ( 95676 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @01:36AM (#11742357)
    ... to have cyber sex.
    Hey baby, howabout you get a few of your friends and we go make ourselves a beowulf cluster in my room.

    Better get some viagra. It looks like your network is down.

    I'm hot swappable!

    I can see the transcript from divorce court now;

    According to your server logs, at 1:15-1:48 AM you were connected and then not connected and then connected and then not connected and then connected and then not connected and then connected and then not connected and then connected and then not connected and then connected and then not connected and then connected... 245 times... Playing patty cake, were we?

  • picking up a phone at your neighbor's house and having your entire address book available, or previous CID info.
  • How do they know it's safe? Because they haven't done any tests to show it isn't safe? Because it doesn't fry their armhairs? Maybe it is safe, but why should we trust the vendors of the tech, who have no accountability, to say it is safe? We're just finding out about cellphones now, we've just started to find out about electrical fields and bone/cytoplasm growth, because all the vendors through history have said "it's safe", without testing.

  • Start of bionic combat man? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Gorimek ( 61128 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @01:48AM (#11742386) Homepage
    One fairly serious human limitation is the speed of nerve signals. There's about a 100 ms lag between the brain and the hand, longer for the feet.

    Not that that's not adequate for everyday life, but if the nerves could somehow be rewired to use this channel instead, reaction times could be seriously lowered with very interesting consequences in several different fields, such as sport, combat, driving or any other physical activity where speed matters.

    I realize this will not happen tomorrow, but OTOH I can't think of any fundamental reason that it's impossible.
  • This is a great way to pass data very secretly. All you'd need to do is touch someone and you transfer 10Mb/s.

    10Kb/s is plenty for secret messages.. and you have 2^10 times more than that to play with.

    Perfect for secret corporate data transfers (trading secret info), spy data, insider stock tips, trading public keys (or even one-time pads), or many other interesting "walk near me" data transfers.

  • Hate to intrude reality into the picture.... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Ancient_Hacker ( 751168 ) on Tuesday February 22, 2005 @07:29AM (#11743333)
    Hmm, next time you're near an oscilloscope, try touching your finger to the input. Inspect the signal. Should be about 2 volts of 60 cycle hum, with maybe 10% ragged noise superimposed. Raise your other hand toward the ceiling lights-- the voltage should go up to maybe five volts of raggedy hash. Now touch something grounded-- the voltage should go down to maybe a tenth of a volt, now mostly high-frequency hash. It's unlikely your body is going to make a good data path. Ungrounded, it's a walking antenna for all kind of noise. Grounded, it's a pretty good short to ground. These folks are trying to make filet-mignon out of road-kill-- not very likely to succeed.

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