Researchers in AT&T Labs are developing technologies that will allow people to open the front door to their home by simply touching the handle. With a combination of  mobile device and your skeletal frame which can uniquely identify you researchers have created a simple, yet secure, method to transfer data.

The prototype for this technology is based on previous work in AT&T Labs where fingertip gestures (tap, rub, etc.) could be identified by listening to the sounds they make using a piezo electric transducer. While testing the gesture recognizer, researchers transmitted music through the body to calibrate the system. They realized that this idea could be extended to transmit data from body to solid object or body to body using vibrations.

The secure keyless entry works like this, the transducer is attached to a mobile device. When the user approaches the door, a unique digital key would be transferred to the lock through bone conduction. If the key matches, the deadbolt will unlock. This is made possible by a person’s unique skeletal structure and bone density. So if the mobile device is stolen it won’t work for anyone except the authorized user.