Unlocking the phone by putting it to your ear
Is it possible to unlock the phone by putting it to the ear?
Ear the best alternative in authentication technology
How does modern software for unlocking smartphones work?
Is it possible to unlock the phone by putting it to the ear?
The development of modern technologies and the AI (artificial intelligence) industry is conducive to the emergence of more and more interesting gadgets and devices that improve work and everyday life. Employees from the University of Georgia in the USA, as a result of their work and research, have invented a modern authentication system in our mobile phones. This system is based on the operation of our hearing. The idea for this way of unlocking the phone was born during the covid-19 pandemic. Why then? Let’s note that at that time we often used disinfectants, as a result of which we often could not use our hands to unlock our smartphone. We also used the sinks much more often, and wet hands are also not used to unlock phones. It is true that employees of one of the IT companies provided the so-called The Face ID function, which consisted in unlocking the phone based on facial recognition, however, there was a breakthrough in this area as well. AI specialists have developed a technology that will allow us to unlock our phone using … the ear. Yes! Unlocking the phone by putting it to the ear is now possible!
Ear the best alternative in authentication technology
Note that compared to other parts of the body, our ear does not change. Unlocking the phone by putting it to the ear is therefore a good alternative to unique fingerprints or the already mentioned facial recognition mechanism. Scientists have even proven that the human ear is a unique part of the body and can be an effective form of authentication, similar to fingerprints. Interestingly, even in identical twins there are natural microdifferences in the structure of the ear. The skin inside the ear does not age as fast as our face.
How does modern software for unlocking smartphones work?
Scientists from Georgia have proposed an algorithm that works in a similar way as in the case of face recognition or unique fingerprints. When we set up a biometric device, the algorithm uses a lot of samples for authentication. In this way, we are able to confirm our identity, for example when we want to pay without entering a PIN. Professor Thirimachos Bourlai, working on the project with his team of researchers, tested the software on two large sets of ear images. They achieved surprisingly favorable research results, as as many as 97.25% of cases confirmed their thesis about the credibility of authentication using the ears. What can this invention do? First of all, according to the researchers, if we use only the ears as a carrier of biometric data, we will increase hygiene and safety. Why security? Scientists have proven that the algorithm on which their invention is based also works well with images captured by a thermal camera.
