An invention utilizing electrocardiography (ECG) as a new form of biometric scanning won first place for a team of developers from Tsing Hua University at the Information and Communications Competition, which was sponsored by British chip designer ARM Holdings.
The invention could signify a new direction for the biometric scanning industry, the university said.
The university’s Department of Engineering and System Science Professor Wu Shun-chi (吳順吉) directed the team in their research, which he began more than three years ago.
Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times
Obtaining ECG charts online from 285 individuals, Wu said he ran the charts through algorithms and discovered that each ECG chart was unique, showing differences in rate and rhythm.
In preliminary research, his system was able to achieve 98 percent accuracy in recognizing different ECG charts, Wu added.
Prevalent biometric scanning systems on modern devices, including fingerprint recognition, facial recognition and retinal scanning, still carry a risk of theft, Wu said.
A device with an ECG-based scanner would offer improved security, preventing theft or blocking unauthorized logins, because obtaining or replicating the user’s ECG chart would be difficult, Wu said.
The system requires further research as differences in heart rate, such as in individuals after exercise or in dysrhythmia patients, have not been factored in.
The system has great potential for use in applications such as mobile payments, said Chen Fan-tzu (陳芃慈), one of the team members.
By equipping a cash register with the device and connecting it to a cloud server on which customers have recorded individual ECG charts, customers could conduct mobile payments without showing ID as the device matches their ECG with the chart on file, Chen said.
Other applications used in car systems, digital products, house maintenance or household security, might also be considered, Chen said.
Meanwhile, the team participating from Oriental Institute of Technology had developed a GPS-tracking system for older people with dementia.
The system was installed on shoes, as footwear is essential when leaving the house, said Wu Huai-kuei (吳槐桂), the instructing professor for the team.
The shoes have a sound emission system and lights, which could be activated after family members report that the individual is missing, Wu said, adding that the noise and lights on the shoe would alert others to help the individual.
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