Human Area Network (HAN) : Turning Humans Into Swipe Card?
The Internet of Things arrived with a bang a few years ago, and it feels like we haven’t quite recovered. With a wide range of smart devices floating around, you think you have seen it all. But what is mind boggling that your body could soon be the backbone of a broadband personal data network linking your mobile phone or any other gadget with each other using your body as a swipe card. How cool is that?!
These personal area networks are already possible using radio-based technologies, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, or just plain old cables to connect devices. But NTT, the Japanese communications company, has developed a technology called RedTacton, which it claims can send data over the surface of the skin at speeds of up to 10 Mbps — equivalent to a fast broadband data connection.
What is HAN?
RedTacton is a Human Area Networking technology/Wireless Networkuses the surface of the human body as a safe, high speed network transmission path. It is completely distinct from wireless and infrared technologies as it uses the minute electric field emitted on the surface of the human body.
A transmission path is formed at the moment a part of the human body comes in contact with a RedTacton transceiver. Communication is possible using any body surfaces, such as the hands, fingers, arms, feet, face, legs or torso. RedTacton works through shoes and clothing as well. When the physical contact gets separated, the communication is ended.
On-body wireless or body centric wireless is the interconnection and networking of wearable computer system components and sensors through a system of transceivers space wave antennas, and surface guided wave antennas for telemetry and telecommunications. The technique uses the surface of the human body as a transmission medium or path for electromagnetic waves.
Features
RedTacton has three main functional features:
- Touch — Touching, gripping, sitting, walking, stepping and other human movements can be the triggers for unlocking or locking, starting or stopping equipment, or obtaining data.
- Broadband and Interactive — Duplex, interactive communication is possible at a maximum speed of 10Mbit/s. Because the transmission path is on the surface of the body, transmission speed does not deteriorate in congested areas where many people are communicating at the same time.
- Any media — In addition to the human body, various conductors and dielectrics can be used as transmission media. Conductors and dielectrics may also be used in combination.
How it works?
- RedTacton utilizes a point to point network, known as a piconet. The P2P network allows information to be exchanged between two transceivers without the need for a server to store or process information.
- It operates on the idea that optical properties of an electro-optic crystal can vary according to the changes of a person own electric field. After contract with another RedTacton enabled device, the transmitter one wears induces an electric field on the body. Next, the transceiver on the device detects changes in the wearers electric field which was caused by the device. The devices then communicate and send data by inducing fluctuations in the electric field of the human body. Data is received using a photonic electric field sensor that combines an electro-optic crystal and a laser light to detect fluctuations in the minute electric field.
What does it need?
- Each device we wish to communicate with must be equipped with a RedTacton transceiver that is able to detect the messages programmed into our own device. We are able to program our devices to exchange specific types of information by using a programmable transceiver that connects to a any computer and allows users to customize their transmission settings through a graphical user interface. Once our transmitter, that we wear, is programmed to recognize and exchange information with other devices we select, such as printers, we will be able to communicate with them easily.
- In the event that we need the information we are exchanging to interact with or be processed by other applications, we will likely need a broadband connection to send that information over the internet to be processed and returned. This would be the case with our subway turn style example previously discussed.
Why HAN?
RedTacton is gearing up to compete with Bluetooth, Zigbee, IrDA (infrared data association), UWB (ultra wide band), and other wireless communication forms. These competing technologies are different in that they use radio frequency or light to transmit data short distances. They also tend to work at slower speeds that RedTacton which, as mentioned before, uses the body’s electrical field to transmit at a high speed. Additionally, since RedTacton requires touch and has a low potential for interference, it it much more secure than the competition.
NTT has recently begun to try and commercialize the technology. The technology is currently being marketed as a way to turn a human into a swipe card.
Applications of RedTacton
- New Behavior Patterns: Various conductors and dielectrics can be used as RedTacton communication media, and this has the potential to create new behavior patterns.
- Security Applications: Automatic user authentication and log-in with just a touch.
- One To One Services: Enable one-to-one services tailored to the user’s situation and tastes.
- Intuitive Operations: Natural movements and actions are the trigger. There’s no “operation” any more. Just intuitive human interaction.
- Device Personalization: Digital lifestyle can be instantly personalized with just a touch.
System Safety
No current flows into the human body from the RedTacton devices. RedTacton uses electric field naturally available on the human body for communication. Transmitter and receiver electrodes are covered with insulating films.
The Competition
Currently, many popular technologies exist in the marketplace which provide similar functions to RedTacton technology. The first is Bluetooth. Bluetooth is also a short range frequency allowing users to transmit data within approximately a 10 meter range. Bluetooth, however, is insecure. The signal can be tapped into and used by others. As mentioned previously, Zigbee, IrDA, and UWB are also potential competitors.
Other Obstacles
- The most obvious barrier to entry is that the cost and time to develop Personal Area network technology is very expensive.
- Second, as a new technology Personal Area networks need to gain popularity among users to help pull the technology into the marketplace instead of having it pushed upon them. Additionally, widespread marketing campaigns will need to be developed to highlight the benefits of PAN technology to facilitate its adoption. Finally, this technology will not likely be very useful until a large number of people and devices have adopted it which means a significant time investment.
Human society is entering an era of ubiquitous computing, where networks are seamlessly interconnected and information is always accessible at our fingertips. The advent of RedTacton technology by NTT is in itself revolutionary, which will likely be targeted for use in applications such as wireless headphones, wearable medical devices, security applications, point-of-sale interactions etc. This could get as simple as two people equipped with RedTacton devices being able to exchange data just by shaking hands.
To know more go through the following links:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317492013_An_Overview_RedTacton-_Human_Area_Networking_HAN
