Bones Could Become Conduits For Data Swaps

Billosaur writes "New Scientist Tech has an intriguing article about researchers at Rice University in Houston, TX who are looking at ways to use the human skeleton to transmit data. The idea is to use bones to conduct sound waves, with 0's and 1's being represented by different frequencies. Preliminary results, shared with a conference on body networks in Florence, Italy, this week, show that bones can conduct even low-power vibrations with few errors. The idea is that the conduction of sound along bone would be more secure than that via radio waves, leading to the possibility of swapping data with someone by shaking their hand."

Comments

Re:How long before the first virus?

[epistemiclife]

It would rather suck if we became weary of handshaking for fear of filling our interfaced electronic devices with spam or (computer) viruses. I suppose that, in a bizarre way, it's a way for computer viruses to become human viruses.

Sound vibration through bones is old tech

[problah]

I believe it was made illegal in the 50's-60's in Canada because it was though to cause bone (cartilage) degridation, and arthritis.

Transmitting 1's an 0's is new, as these were originally made to hear music throughout your entire body. If someone has a link, I don't, but I heard about this from my grandparents when I was younger.

Health issues?

[incer]

What about health issues? And how does it work out with diseases (or disfunctions) like Osteoporosis and Arthritis?

Incorrect, misleading claim

[Toffins]

There is something badly wrong with this article and it reflects very badly on the standard of journalism in New Scientist magazine. The article suggests that using bone vibrations to send messages is necessarily secure (against interception) because interception requires direct physical contact. However, that claim simply is not true. It should be obviously untrue from an understanding of elementary physics.

Think what happens when the device is operating. The vibrations it generates will propagate as sound waves not only into the adjacent bone but also into the air surrounding the device. With the right microphones and signal processing techniques it will certainly be possible to intercept the airborne sound waves at significant distances from the device (depending on ambient noise level, sound pressure level, internal body noise as a function of motions of body parts and clothing, etc).

Claiming that the device provides secure communication is wrong and potentially very misleading e.g. to any investors who read this article. I doubt the quote attributed to Liebschner is accurate given that this is only an article in that disappointingly woolly thinking New Scientist magazine.

Re:virus alert

[DriveDog]

Bow until heads touch... much more sonically conductive path than through a handshake. Substitute head lice for viruses transmitted. Thicker skulls probably work better. As usual, those with the least information share the most.