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New Car Anti-Theft Device Profiles Your Rear End
Hugh Pickens writes "A car-seat identifier developed at Japan's Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology by Associate Professor Shigeomi Koshimizu can recognize a person by his or her rear end with 98 percent accuracy when the person takes a seat in his car. The bucket seat's lower section is lined with 360 pressure sensors that measure pressure on a scale from 0 to 256, sending information to a laptop, which aggregates the information, generates the key data and produces a precise map of the seated person's rear profile. Researchers say traditional biometric techniques such as iris scanners and fingerprint readers cause stress to people undergoing identity checks, while the simple act of getting seated carries less psychological baggage. Koshimizu wants to see his work available commercially as an anti-theft product in two to three years if automakers agree to collaborate. He sees possibilities of this device being used beyond auto-theft identity protection to a device for security identification in office settings, where users log on to their PCs as they sit down."
Some people apply their rear pressure differently based on if their rear load is full, empty or something in between. Not only does your overall weight change, but also the formation of rear pressing against the seat will be different, especially depending on your nutrition and different days. Is it going to be able to detect such load changes without many problems? Obviously there needs to be some kind of threshold, but if your rear pressure varies a lot the device could even lock you out from using your car.
"measure pressure on a scale from 0 to 256" ... what an odd design choice.
Technician: Hello, this is OnStar. How can I help you?
Owner: I locked my keys in my car, can you unlock it?
Technician: Certainly, let me just bring up your profile... Wow, sweet pooper -- do you do Zumba?
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So what happens when your ass no longer matches the profile? Will you still be able to start your car or log into your computer?
And I am not necessarily talking about getting fatter over time. It is possible to get leg and back injuries that cause you to sit differently with different pressure applied to different areas when you sit down. What about people with hemorrhoids that need to sit on an inflatable donut?
The scene: Aristocratic antique styled dining room. There's a long table to seat over 20 guests with a prominent chair at the head for the prime minister.
You see various servants tidying up and leaving the room one by one while a butler inspects, he leaves last.
*Ethan Hunt carefully drops down from the skylight suspended by a cable*
*After much twisting acrobatics he replaces the seat cushion on the prime ministers chair with a pressure sensitive decoy unit* (For suspense let's put in a scene where he nearly knocks over a glass of red wine and catches the spilt drop with one hand while holding the glass with the other, a single drop of sweat will fall on a plate at this point, Ethan will wince as the drop lands but he won't have time to wipe the plate off)
*He quickly lifts up just as the butler returns to the dining room, nudging the sensor into perfect alignment right as it leaves his reach*
*Butler notices the drop of sweat and raises an eyebrow curiously, he then makes an icy stare at the servant girl who set that area as she enters the room, she looks fearful and guilty*
*Cut to MI van parked outside, a 3D printer is printing out a faux-butt for Ethan to wear while he steals the prime minister's car, it is spraying a realistic flesh tone over the perfectly carved rear* (Insert witty joke from Luther about Ethan's butt, perhaps stating that he had to guess the color and hopes it's right)
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What about valet parking or taking the car to the shop? Obviously, there has to be some kind of override and as such, thieves, will find a way to hack it and still steal the vehicle.