Personal Gear: Skin used to transmit key data�| New Scientist
Print: Skin used to transmit key data�| New Scientist

I've been skeptical of Microsoft's patent on using the skin as a means of networking a series of personal devices. Unless the primary benefit is power savings, it doesn't yet click with me. Why not use a wireless technology? And getting all your devices in contact with your skin all of the time may be challenging.

This article, however shows a bit more promise in that it is primarily oriented at using the skin as a conduit for unlocking cars and ensuring such safety procedures as having safety goggles on before using power tools.

If this is it's primary target, however, this seems like nothing more than a niche play. It would seem more likely that wireless keys stored in your PDA (or the like) would be a better way to unlock a car. In this way, it can be started and warmed up as you approach, for example, or other, context-based activation models that are significanly less acheivable with direct contact technologies such as in this article.

Thoughts?
- posted @ 7:49 AM