Shake a Secure Bluetooth Connection

heilbron writes "The Austrian researcher Rene Mayrhofer of the British Lancaster university and his colleague Hans Gellersen developed a technology to simplify a secured wireless connection of mobile devices. With the so-called shake-to-connect technology an authenticated Bluetooth connection between two mobile phones is established by rhythmic shaking. Integrated oscillation sensors, contained in some mobile phone models, form the basis. The two researchers sketched out a prototype, which is intended for Nokia mobile phones. An example is documented in this YouTube video clip. If two mobile phones are shaken together, the software in both devices registers the same shaking frequency and authenticates the radio link. The principle is summed up in a four page PDF document."

Comments

Not just Cell phones use bluetooth

[nurb432]

I want to see you shake your bluetooth enabled car so you can sync with your phone, or spend the time shaking your keyboard and mouse ( and not look like an idiot ).

I can see a PDA getting loose during shaking and sending it flying under a bus. *crunch*

Re:Not just Cell phones use bluetooth

[Anonymous Coward]

You're absolutely right! I mean, since this idea can't be used for everything, then it's totally worthless!

Because entering a PIN is sooooo difficult

[Coward Anonymous]

This is a solution looking for a problem...

Completely flipping pointless

[mlk]

Thinking about my use of Bluetooth:
a) Headset to phone auth - Done once when I bought the device, why would I want to make the headset heaver and more expenive.
b) Computer/phone auth - Done twice once with my home computer (a desktop-replacement laptop) and works desktop computer (not likely to pick that up and shake it)
c) Snyc with friends phone (share numbers) - I think I have done this once, normally I just send them a text message or quickly call them etc, but if I were to do it again I'd have to either let a friend shake my phone (top of the range smart phone) or a friend will let me shake his/hers (jokes abound). Mostly also top of the range smart phones. That is not likely to go down well.