Body Area Network Authentication via Through-Body Signal Propagation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional authentication methods are cumbersome, prone to errors, and vulnerable to spoofing, requiring users to remember and enter credentials, which can lead to authentication failures and security breaches.
Innovation Solution
Authentication based on a body signature determined by signal propagation through an individual's body, using a body area network to transmit and receive signals, which are then processed to uniquely identify the individual for secure access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional authentication methods (username, password, PIN) are used, then users can access the system, but the authentication process is cumbersome and prone to errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual credential entry (mechanical interaction with keyboard/input devices) with automatic biometric authentication using optical sensors to capture retinal or iris patterns. This substitution eliminates the need for users to remember and type passwords, thereby improving ease of operation while enhancing reliability through unique physiological identification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital copy or template of the user's retinal or iris pattern during enrollment. This copied biometric data is then stored and compared against live scans during authentication, enabling automatic verification without requiring the user to physically present their eye while maintaining high accuracy through pattern matching algorithms.
2Reliability
If traditional credentials are used for authentication, then access can be granted, but the system is vulnerable to spoofing and security breaches
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces vulnerable mechanical authentication methods (keyboard input, card swiping) with optical biometric sensing. The optical sensor system captures unique retinal or iris patterns that are extremely difficult to spoof, thereby enhancing security. The system complexity is justified by the significant security improvement over traditional methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the authentication parameter from user-provided credentials (which can be guessed or stolen) to physiological parameters (retinal/iris patterns) that are unique to each individual and difficult to replicate. This parameter change fundamentally improves security while the added device complexity is offset by the elimination of credential management infrastructure.
3Productivity
If users must remember and enter credentials, then authentication can be performed, but authentication failures occur frequently
Solution Approach 1:
The biometric authentication system enables self-service authentication where the user's own physiological features (retinal or iris pattern) serve as the credential. The system automatically captures, processes, and verifies the biometric data without requiring the user to manually input information, thereby eliminating authentication failures due to forgotten passwords and reducing user effort to minimal cooperation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual credential entry process with automatic optical scanning and pattern recognition. This mechanical substitution eliminates the need for users to type passwords or PINs, thereby improving productivity by reducing authentication time and eliminating ease of operation issues related to remembering and correctly entering credentials.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described for user authentication based on a signal that is transmitted through an individual's body, and detected using device(s) in physical contact with the individual. A signal, such as an electrical signal or a vibrational signal, may be transmitted from a first device and received by a second device that is in physical contact with the individual. The received signal may be employed to determine a body signature for the individual. The body signature may identify the individual among a population of individuals, given the particular alterations to the propagating signal caused by the individual's physiology. Accordingly, the body signature may be employed as a form of biometric data that is useable to authenticate the individual to access a secure area, log in to a device or an application, or for other purposes.