New technology has been launched by Microchip that enables the use of the human body as a secure communication channel. The company’s BodyCom technology is said to provide lower energy consumption, whilst further increasing security via the method of bidirectional authentication.
Because no RF antennas are required, this technology is able to simplify circuit-level design and lower the bill of materials. This is enabled by the Development V1.0 Framework, supplied through free software libraries.
The technology is enabled via capacitive coupling to the human body. The system then begins communicating bidirectionally between a centralised controller and one or more wireless units.
There are many applications where secure wireless communication is essential, and there is no more secure channel than the human body. This is especially true when bidirectional authentication is added to support advanced encryption, such as KeeLoq technology and AES.
This new technology release can help to prevent the ‘Relay Attack’ problem that is typical in automotive passive-keyless-entry security systems. Most secure, short-range communication designs are battery powered and highly cost constrained.
Microchip
