Wearable Skin Sensor Authentication Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wearable devices, such as smart watches, lack secure authentication methods, allowing unauthorized users to access private information when the device is left unattended after authentication, as they do not continuously verify the device's contact with the user's skin surface.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a skin sensor with sub-sensors like capacitive, inductive, optical, and photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors to detect the wearable device's contact with the skin surface and continuously monitor its presence, ensuring authentication only when the device remains in contact, and sharing this authenticated state with electronic devices within a predetermined distance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If authentication is performed before execution of functions, then user access is authorized, but the device remains vulnerable to unauthorized access when left unattended
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors skin contact status through sensors (capacitive, inductive, optical, or PPG) and provides feedback to the processor. When contact is lost, the system automatically revokes authentication status and locks functions, creating a closed-loop security mechanism that responds to changing conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary skin contact verification before granting authentication and continuously monitors contact status during operation. This preliminary and ongoing verification prevents unauthorized access before it can occur and terminates access immediately when contact is lost
2Measurement precision
If multiple skin sensor sub-sensors are incorporated to detect contact status, then detection accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The skin contact detection system is divided into multiple independent sub-sensors (capacitive, inductive, optical, PPG), each performing a specific detection function. The processor integrates signals from these segmented sensors to achieve high-precision contact status determination while maintaining modular system architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The skin sensor system is designed to perform multiple functions: capacitive sensors detect contact presence, inductive sensors verify skin proximity, optical sensors monitor contact continuity, and PPG sensors confirm physiological connection. This multi-functionality achieves high detection accuracy through a unified sensor platform
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances security by ensuring that sensitive functions can only be executed when the wearable device is securely attached to the user, preventing unauthorized access even if the device is picked up by others.
Implementation Method 1
capacitive, inductive, optical, and photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors to detect the wearable device's contact with the skin surface
Implementation Method 2
capacitive, inductive, optical, and photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors to detect the wearable device's contact with the skin surface
Implementation Method 3
The PPG sensor is configured to detect a PPG signal of a user
Data Source
AI summary
A wearable device including a skin sensor and a processor is provided. The processor is configured to receive an authentication data for authenticating a user when a wearing state of the wearable device is adjacent to a skin surface of the user, share an authenticated state in response to a request from an electronic device when the authentication data matches a pre-stored data and the skin sensor determines that the wearable device does not leave the skin surface after the authentication data is received, and stop sharing the authenticated state when the skin sensor determines that the wearable device leaves the skin surface during the sharing.