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Smart Phones Could Know Their Users By How They Walk
mirgens writes "Technology Review has a short article on new work on gait analysis with the accelerometers built into many smart phones. The work was done at the Norwegian Information Security Laboratory ('Nislab'). The need for more security on mobile devices is increasing with new functionalities and features made available. To improve device security, Nislab proposed gait recognition as a protection mechanism — in other words, if somebody else walks away with your phone, it locks up. While previous work on gait recognition used video sources, for instance to identify people in airports or secure buildings, the Nislab researchers collected the gait data using a Google G1 phone containing the AK8976A embedded accelerometer." What if you're running from a mugger and want to dial 911?
this is stupid
no one cares
the data is useless
this article is dumb
I am writing this because I hate the world and stupid shit like this
If you're trying to dial the cops while running from a mugger I predict an encounter with a sturdy lamppost, street sign or news stand in your very near future.
That would be different from normal Americans at any other time how? Seriously they are the most bovine idiots imaginable. They frequently walk in one direction while looking in another and if they run into you while doing that they get pissed at you for being there and not themselves for failing to pay attention to where they're going. If they're going to slam into me anyway I make sure it's a nice sharp elbow they contact to let them taste a little Darwinism. Usually when they do this they're yakking on the cell phone. Somehow I can talk on a cell phone without disregarding all awareness of my environment, it comes from not being a bovine idiot with a deer-in-headlights outlook on life.
What America so badly needs is some kind of man-eating animal that stands no chance against you unless it can surprise you. That would fix stupid. Then the ones left would say "hey maybe paying attention to what goes on around me and not being 100% completely self absorbed is a good idea." Holy shit they might even extend that philosophy to politics and start questioning their representatives.
I've always wanted a phone that won't work if I am [...] riding a bicycle
Bad example. Riding a bike while talking on the phone is like riding a bike with 0.08% ethyl alcohol in your blood.
If passwords are as unique as walks, this could be used to violate privacy!!
Don't quote me on this.
You mean, like OnStar?
Like this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8As1zshWxn0 :D
Chill the fuck out. I read your entire comment.
My point was, why should your phone do something that your car should do (or already does do)?
>> What if you're running from a mugger and want to dial 911?
> Then don't lock out emergency functions - similar to the way that
> (in the US at least) phones without a valid subscription can still call 911.
The editing on /. gets worse each day. What is more interesting of a question would have been "are walks as unique as fingerprints, and can this be used to violate privacy" How is this quantified, and could the police put you on a suspect list because your "walk" is similar to who they think committed some crime? Those are interesting questions. As for 911, as the parent points out, that would be obvious to anyone with any life experience.
If they had anything remotely resembling experience or talent, why do you think they'd have such a shitty job?