Samsung files patent for a new smartwatch that uses bio signals like ECG generated by heartbeats to authenticate a Smartphone user.
There is a high risk of your personal information getting unintentionally exposed when you lose your Smartphone and someone else finds and use it.
If you have seen “SKYFALL”, then you must know how Bond’s gun becomes inoperable when it gets into the wrong hands and saves his life. What if you find a similar technology in your smartphones?
Do you know that your heartbeat signatures are different from mine? And thus your ECG signals? Moreover, one can copy your voice or fingerprints; however, it is impossible to copy the ECG signals?
Recently we stumbled upon a patent application of Samsung that seems to be inspired from Bond’s gun. The patent describes the use of bio-sensors in a smartwatch to tell that the person wearing it is, indeed, who he says he is.
The watch authenticates a wearer by recognizing his bio signals like muscle movement and his unique ECG signals that renders the smartphone useless when it falls into a baddy’s hand.
How Heartbeat Authentication Works in Samsung’s Smartwatch?
According to the patent application, there would be at least two sensors present in the watch, one at front and another at the back side, to collect different bio signals.
In general, when you unlock your Smartphone you use to go through a two step process. First, you trigger the authentication by swiping your fingers across the screen. After that you authenticate yourself by entering the password or drawing the pattern.
Samsung is trying to introduce a completely new authentication process where you can trigger the authentication process by either rotating your wrist, clinching your fist, or opening your hand.
The bio sensor that is present at the back side of the watch will detect the EMG signals generated by the muscle movement of your hand. After that, you have to place your fingers on the bio sensor present at the front side of the Samsung’s smartwatch; this will collect the ECG signals that your heartbeats generate.
In the next step, the watch will match these collected bio-signals with already stored bio signals to authenticate you. Apart from ECG, your photoplethysmogram (PPG) signal or an impedance signal that your body generates can also be used in the authentication process.
The presence of heartbeat authentication in Samsung smartwatch will make a user feel power fasten to his wrist; a power that secures his data and device, and makes security of his device fool proof.
As the Smartphone market is becoming highly commoditize, we believe that incorporation of such features will help Samsung to clinch maximum market share. Apart from that, Samsung can also use this technology to develop its own contactless payment system to compete with Apple pay.
Do you know? : Samsung has been filing patents on smartphone unlocking methods after Apple’s swipe-to-unlock dispute