Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 31

searchers used a mathematical technique
to convert certain measurements
- such as the width and angle of the
repeating mesh pattern - into constant
values. With this process, called normalization,
researchers can focus on the
relationship between specific variables
by negating the influence of the normalized
variables.
The team found that the normalization
of different variables provided several
avenues for customizing the antenna's
performance. They also found that the
simulated geometry of the mesh could
produce different outcomes, even with
the same set of normalized variables.
Though the researchers analyzed
wearable antenna properties, the methods
could be applied to other radio frequency
devices. The research could lead
to networks of sensors and transmitters
worn on the body, all communicating
with each other and external devices.
Watch a video on Tech Briefs TV at
www.techbriefs.com/tv/wearable-antenna.
For more information, contact Megan Laka tos
at mkl5024@psu.edu; 814-865-5544.
Technology Enables Digital Communication Through Touch
The technology would enable transmission of information just by touching a surface.
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
nstead of inserting a card or scanning a
smartphone to make a payment, a new
technology enables you to simply touch
the machine with your finger. The prototype
lets the body act as the link between
a card or smartphone and the reader or
scanner, making it possible to transmit
information just by touching a surface.
While wearing the prototype as a
watch, a user's body can be used to send
information such as a photo or password
when touching a sensor on a laptop.
While the ability to unlock devices using
fingerprints has been available, the new
technology does not rely on biometrics
- it relies on digital signals.
I
The technology works by establishing
an " internet " within the body that smartphones,
smartwatches, pacemakers, in -
sulin pumps, and other wearable or
implantable devices can use to send
information. These devices typically
communicate using Bluetooth signals
that tend to radiate out from the body. A
hacker could intercept those signals
from 30 feet away. The new technology
instead confines signals within the body
by coupling them in an electro-quasistatic
range that is much lower on the electromagnetic
spectrum than typical Blue -
tooth communication. This mechanism
is what enables information transfer by
only touching a surface.
Even if your finger hovers just one centimeter
above a surface, information
wouldn't transfer through this technology
without a direct touch. This would
prevent a hacker from stealing private
information by intercepting the signals.
The capability was demonstrated in the
lab by having a person interact with two
adjacent
receiver to get data from the finger, and
a light to indicate that data had transTech
Briefs, September 2021
Cov
A researcher transfers information from a chip in a watch by touching a sensor connected to a laptop.
(Purdue University photo/John Underwood)
ferred. If the finger directly touched an
electrode, only the light of that surface
turned on. The fact that the light of the
other surface stayed off indicated that
the data didn't leak out. Similarly, if a finger
hovered as close as possible over a
lap top sensor, a photo wouldn't transfer
without a direct touch.
surfaces. Each surface was
equipped with an electrode to touch, a
Credit card machines and payment
apps use a more secure alternative to
Bluetooth signals called near-field communication
to receive a payment from
tapping a card or scanning a phone. The
new technology would add the convenience
of making a secure payment in a
single gesture without having to take a
device out of your pocket. The technology
could also replace key fobs or cards
www.techbriefs.com
ToC
that currently use Bluetooth communication
to grant access into a building. In -
stead, a person might just touch a door
handle to enter.
Like machines that scan coupons, gift
cards, and other information from a
phone, using this technology would re -
quire surfaces everywhere to have the
right hardware for recognizing a finger.
The software on the device that a person
is wearing would also need to be configured
to send signals through the body to
the fingertip - and have a way to turn
off so that information, such as a payment,
wouldn't be transferred to every
surface equipped to receive it.
For more information, contact Kayla
Wiles at wiles5@purdue.edu; 765-494-2432.
31

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Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021

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