biometric Dæmon

[lauriefrost]

Here's a link to an article on the Newcastle University site about research into what their creators call "biometric Dæmon,"
Tamagotchi-type pets taken to a much more sophisticated level for use in biometric security systems.

The aim is for the device to learn its person's voice, gait, and so forth well enough to vouch for the person's identity.

Biometric Dæmon shut down if separated from their people.

Link: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/press.office/newsl ... 1210152531

[Neptune]

That was interesting... I love the concept, thank you doctor frost!

[latency]

Interesting, but a person's voice, stance, etc, can all be impersonated...

[Random_Element]

While the voice could be impersonated I believe it doesn't fool voice recognition software so easily. As impersonators like Jon Colshaw make their voices sound like other people by speaking in a voice the audience expect the person there are impersonating sounds like and not how they actually talk.

Gait is also very difficult to impersonate as the gait is based on the physical characteristics of the person so a person stealing the 'Dæmon' would have to a very similar build, size, body to leg ratio etc. to be able to pull off the fraud. Plus things like fingerprints would be difficult ( not impossible ) to forge. Plus added securities like passwords. I think the idea is very good, and as long as they couldn't be hacked it would be a very good method of ID verification without the huge Big Brother bureaucracy.

[MoonCat]

I heard of this earlier, but I didn't know the project included a device to learn the person's voice and gait.

There was a short advert on youtube earlier about this.

And here is their scientific paper: http://www.usenix.org/event/upsec08/tec ... briggs.pdf

[ArcT]

Thank you, doctor! This is a pretty amazing find! There are a couple of things that won't add up, though, like for instance the gait - if you're good enough, you can impersonate someone perfectly.

[Cheater]

Hahahaha. Nicknaming them dæmons is a awesome idea.

The problem with electronic gadgets is not that they can be impersonated, but they use boolean logic.
Inside it essentially comes down to 'Is this my human?' and with the right equipment, you can easily flip that so it says yes instead of no.
A whole pile of things have this problem. Find the right bit to change and all the security just vanishes.

[Mils]

wow, this is so cool
probably to closest we'll get to getting our own deamon, but i'll take what i can get

[Andry]

certainly an interesting idea but are they really turning virtual pets into Serious Business?
it seems a bit unnecessary to make people care for and pay attention to what is essentially a virtual ID card

[Phit]

I'd gotten the link from Amyra before but I didn't realize they were serious; I thought it was a bit like a clip from The Office!

And I knew the Wiimote would be the key to unlocking some fabulous new future! Or the next suit upgrade in Metroid Corruption...

[Adamoun]

Biometric Dæmon!! I love the name, but as many of you have said, it would be uncertain if it really really would work. They could be fooled quite easily.

[Boydesy]

In the computer world, a "Dæmon" is a background self executing program that initiates in order to perform an task when needed. They may have chosen that name because the device readies itself for identification. This might be wrong. Cheater would know, he's the resident programmer. I think this thread may belong in Dæmonology, or maybe Scholar's CR instead of the book discussion.

[Cheater]

This might be wrong. Cheater would know, he's the resident programmer.

Nah TFA says that it was named after HDM's Dæmon.

[Boydesy]

Nah TFA says that it was named after HDM's Dæmon.

Really, I didn't know that. That's actually pretty cool.

[ArcT]

Kick to Dæmonology

[missy]

I found the officail paper but when was it published? this idea seems beter than PIN or ID but people will find a way around it and steal your information. Or they could bust it open and take out the memory chip implanted in the Dæmon because that's how they store all the memory right?

[KatrinaSilvertongue]

wow, this is so cool
probably to closest we'll get to getting our own deamon, but i'll take what i can get

No, the closest that we HAVE to dæmons is that fact that we have them. Take what you'll get? Take this:

http://Dæmon.com/

he he he

[AlexanderCourt]

I wouldn't want a biometric dæmon, because for one thing it's trying to intergrate us with technology and could be used like ID cards to monitor people, and I don't really need a second dæmon, it wouldn't know what I was thinking so why would I associate it to my personality?

[KatrinaSilvertongue]

I wouldn't want one neither. I wouldn't talk to you, share you happiness and pain, it would BE me unlike the dæmon I have. We have dæmons, go to teh dæmon page if you want one, it doesn't give you one, it just teaches you how to have one. Well... not how to, but just tell you how to see it (to as much as you can) hear it (to as much as you can) and feel it (as much as you can)

[Dæmon~Temazin]

Daemons are better...

[KatrinaSilvertongue]

Too right. Anyway, how would it know you'd be gone? I mean... can it SEE you or something, {well it must do to know it's owners walking styles...} Yeah.

[Dæmon~Temazin]

Totally! At least Dæmon are you, not something made in a factory somewhere in China! And Tamagotchi is a TOY for little KIDS right? What they thinking!

[subtle_sword]

did anyone once own a tamagotchi?

[HDMforever]

Yes, they took my elementary school by storm. Everybody--and I mean EVERYBODY, even me, the book nerd--had one. And let me tell you, they are no comparison to a dæmon. None at all.

[Dæmon~Temazin]

I've never owned one and never will...