Watch Your Step - Cellphone Detects Owner's Walking Style

[Mike Temporale]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/story/0,10801,105373,00.html?source=x68' target='_blank'>http://www.computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/story/0,10801,105373,00.html?source=x68</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Finnish scientists have invented a device designed to make it harder to steal mobile phones and laptops by enabling them to detect changes in their owner's walking style and then freeze them to prevent unauthorized use. The VTT Technical Research Center of Finland said the device, which it has patented but has yet to sell, could prevent millions of portable appliances from being stolen every year. "A device is equipped with sensors that measure certain characteristics of the user's gait. When the device is used for the first time, these measurements are saved in its memory," VTT said in a statement. The gadget would monitor the user's walking style and check it against the saved information. If the values differ, the user would have to enter a password."</i><br /><br />With this technology, you will have to grab the cellphone and capture any of the information you're after before you take a step. it could really change the way we do security. Laptops, Cellphones, PDAs, Cameras, could all benefit from this. Of course, it doesn't do anything to prevent the user from having a weak password. ;)

[John Cody]

I think I just read somewhere that a company will do the reverse - it will use cell towers to detect the speed you are traveling in a car (via your cellphone and triangularization) to automatically generate real-time traffic info for various roads.

In other words, if this new system detects a bunch of (anonymous) cell phones that are now going 5 mph, but which were just going 55mph a few minutes ago on the same highway, it will deduce that you must have run into traffic.

I just want to get my "cut" of the profits each time my cell phone it used to help generate this traffic data :wink:

[Mike Temporale]

Now that is a cool idea. However, I think you're right in that people will want something for the use of their cellphone. I know I would, even if it was a small discount on my monthly bill. 8)