{"id":163845,"date":"2019-09-23T19:43:36","date_gmt":"2019-09-23T11:43:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/featured\/-1804866\/"},"modified":"2019-09-23T19:43:36","modified_gmt":"2019-09-23T11:43:36","slug":"novel-biometric-tool-unlocks-smartphone-using-earbuds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/2019\/09\/23\/novel-biometric-tool-unlocks-smartphone-using-earbuds\/","title":{"rendered":"Novel Biometric Tool Unlocks Smartphone Using Earbuds"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sound propagates through and is reflected and absorbed by the ear canal, producing a unique signature that can be recorded by a microphone and used for smartphone verification (via rupixen\/Unsplash)<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Fingerprints aren’t the only unique human identifier: The ear canal produces a particular signature based on how sounds echo or are absorbed inside it.<\/span><\/p>\n

But that auditory John Hancock has largely been overlooked\u2014until now.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inspired by the pervasiveness of earbuds on college campuses, University at Buffalo computer scientist Zhanpeng Jin developed a novel way of unlocking your phone<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

“We have so many students walking around with speakers in their ears,” the associate professor said in a statement. “It led me to wonder what else we could do with them.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The answer: EarEcho<\/a>, a biometric tool that uses modified wireless earbuds to authenticate smartphone users via the individual geometry of their ear canal.<\/span><\/p>\n

A team of researchers led by Jin built their prototype from off-the-shelf products\u2014including a pair of in-ear buds and a tiny microphone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scientifically speaking, when a sound is played into someone’s ear, it propagates through and is reflected and absorbed by the ear canal. This process produces a unique signature that can be recorded by a microphone.<\/span><\/p>\n

“It doesn’t matter what the sound is, everyone’s ears are different and we can show that in the audio recording,” according to Jin. “This uniqueness can lead to a new way of confirming the identity of the user, equivalent to fingerprinting.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The information is gathered by a built-in microphone and sent via Bluetooth to a connected smartphone, where it is analyzed.<\/span><\/p>\n

To test their tech, Jin & Co. streamed audio samples\u2014speech, music, etc.\u2014to 20 people in different environmental settings (on the street, in a shopping mall) in different positions (sitting, standing, head tilted).<\/span><\/p>\n

The model, as described in this month’s <\/span>Proceedings of the ACM<\/span><\/i> journal, proved roughly 95 percent effective when given one second to authenticate the listener.<\/span><\/p>\n

That score improved to 97.5 percent during a three-second window.<\/span><\/p>\n

EarEcho’s most obvious application is unlocking smartphones, making passcodes, fingerprints, facial recognition, and other biometrics moot.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Think about that,” Jin said. “Just by wearing the earphones, which many people already do, you wouldn’t have to do anything to unlock your phone.”<\/span><\/p>\n

But the computer scientist has loftier plans for the continuous monitoring of smartphone users: The passive system, he said, is ideal for situations where folks are required to verify their identity\u2014like making mobile payments.<\/span><\/p>\n

UB’s Technology Transfer office has filed a provisional patent application for the mechanic.<\/span><\/p>\n

More on Geek.com:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n