Future Cell Phone Knows You By Your Walk

jangobongo writes "Researchers at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland have come up with a unique way to secure your cell phone if it should get lost or stolen: 'Gait code'. Motion sensors in the phone would monitor the walking pattern (or gait) of whoever is in possession of the phone, and if the 'gait' doesn't match a pre-established biometric the phone would require a password to operate. The prototype cell phone correctly identified when it was being carried by someone other than its owner 98% of the time. The research team points out (powerpoint document) that this method could also work for PDAs, laptops, USB tokens, smart cards, wallets, suitcases, and guns."

Comments

But

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm a wheelchair you insensitive clod. Anyone who can roll can pretend to be me.

Won't Sell in Scotland

[turgid]

Imagine when you've had 6-8 pints of Heavy and you stumble out of the pub and try to phone a taxi.

Have you ever tried typing in a password after a gallon of beer?

Never mind, there's always the beer scooter.

critics missing the point

[cinnamon colbert]

I think all the critics of this are right, yet they are missing the point, which is not even that the std pin is the backup

Technology succeeds largely if it panders to one of the dominant human traits - lazyness.
If the gait thing means i can save 5 secs, or maybe more on a cold day with gloves that have to be taken off, it will have a good chance in the market.