Data Transmition With A Touch

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp (NTT) has developed an innovative human area networking technology called RedTacton (red implies a warm color; tacton is coined with "touch" and "action") that turns the surface of a human body into a data transmission path. RedTacton uses weak electric fields on the surface of the body as a transmission medium to enable data speeds of up to 10Mbps between any two points on the body.

While the idea of a "human area network" that works by using weak electrical fields on the surface of the body does creep us out a little, NTT's RedTacton system based on the concept does have a certain appeal. Imagine beaming data from your PDA to that of a business contact just by shaking hands — the data passes from your PDA to your "HAN" and then travels the same route to your counterpart. Imagine a wireless headset that carries music from your audio player to your ears via your skin. Imagine security systems that can track you every time you touch a conductive surface. Okay, NTT's utopian vision for this tech doesn't include that last example. But it does include ID-verification techniques, such as a smart door that can unlock by reading signals from a digital ID card as they're transmitted over your skin. We'll give Redacton the benefit of the doubt for now, but let's just say that some of its potential uses just, well, make our skin crawl.

RedTacton is characterized by three functional features: A communications path can be created with a simple touch, automatically initiating the flow of data between a body-centric electronic device and a computer that is embedded in the environment; the electro-optic sensor enables two-way communications at up to 10Mbps between any two points on the body; RedTacton can use a wide range of materials as a transmission medium, as long as it is conductive and dielectric, which includes water and other liquids, various metals, certain plastics, and glass.

NTT mentions possible applications including personalized one-to-one services, the intuitive operation of personal information devices, user-registration-free device personalization, and security applications.