Haptic Obfuscated Interfaces for Secure Mobile Communications
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Solution Overview
Problem
In electronic communication, private information is vulnerable to eavesdropping due to the lack of effective security measures, especially in crowded environments where natural interactions like speech or gestures can be easily intercepted.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses haptic stimuli, such as vibrations or pneumatic outputs, to initiate false user input when crowd density exceeds a threshold, generating a haptic keypair for asymmetric encryption to secure communications by obfuscating true data with false data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If natural interaction methods (speech, gesture) are used for communication, then ease of operation is improved, but security and privacy deteriorate due to eavesdropping vulnerability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces haptic feedback as an intermediary channel between the user and the communication device. The haptic stimulus serves as a mediator that triggers the user to provide false input, creating a secure layer without requiring changes to the natural interaction mode. This intermediary mechanism allows the system to maintain ease of operation while adding security through the haptic-triggered obfuscation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of user input by introducing false input data that mixes with true input data. By altering the input parameter through the addition of obfuscating false data triggered by haptic feedback, the system maintains the natural interaction flow while transforming the communication security characteristics to prevent eavesdropping.
2Reliability
If haptic stimuli are used to trigger false user input for security, then security is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The haptic stimulus mechanism serves multiple functions: it acts as a security trigger, a user interface element, and a coordination mechanism for the obfuscation process. By making the haptic feedback system multi-functional, the patent reduces the need for separate dedicated components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while achieving enhanced security.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the user's own physical response to haptic feedback to generate the security keypair and control the obfuscation process. The user's natural interaction with the haptic stimulus self-services the security function, eliminating the need for complex external security hardware or additional user actions beyond the natural interaction flow.
3Loss of information
If false user input is processed to obfuscate true data, then privacy is improved, but information accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and separates the true input data from the false obfuscating data through processing. By taking out the genuine user intent signal from the mixed input stream, the system preserves information accuracy for the intended recipient while maintaining privacy through the presence of false data that appears identical to eavesdroppers.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of filtering out false data to achieve accuracy, the system inverts the approach by embedding true data within false data. The true input is preserved but transformed through the obfuscation process, requiring the receiver to reverse the obfuscation to recover the original meaning, thus achieving both privacy and accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed embodiments provide techniques for improvements in electronic communications. A mobile electronic device associated with a user measures crowd density proximate to the user. When the crowd density exceeds a threshold, a haptic signal, such as a vibration or pneumatic output, is discretely provided to the user. After issuing the haptic signal, the device listens for false data. False data is data entered by the user that is not part of the expected data sequence. The false data is used to obfuscate the true data. The randomness of the false data can be used to generate a keypair used for communication. The keypair is used for asymmetric encryption that provides an extra level of security for electronic communications from the mobile electronic device.