Comments on: Ruminations On The Nature Of The Key http://alsop-louie.com/gadgets/ruminations-on-the-nature-of-the-key/ The Art and Science of Entrepreneurs Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:12:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: The Daily Times http://alsop-louie.com/gadgets/ruminations-on-the-nature-of-the-key/#comment-6554 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:52:36 +0000 http://alsop-louie.com/gadgets/ruminations-on-the-nature-of-the-key/#comment-6554 An interesting view of the automotive industry. Where do you see the future of the industry, will it ever recover or will there be major casulties? An interesting view of the automotive industry. Where do you see the future of the industry, will it ever recover or will there be major casulties?

]]> by: David http://alsop-louie.com/gadgets/ruminations-on-the-nature-of-the-key/#comment-1458 Wed, 17 Oct 2007 11:26:48 +0000 http://alsop-louie.com/gadgets/ruminations-on-the-nature-of-the-key/#comment-1458 My landrover difficult to use remote.Some time error if near equiptment telecom radio. Thanks for you post . My landrover difficult to use remote.Some time error if near equiptment telecom radio.
Thanks for you post .

]]> by: Peter Rothman http://alsop-louie.com/gadgets/ruminations-on-the-nature-of-the-key/#comment-50 Mon, 19 Mar 2007 18:45:09 +0000 http://alsop-louie.com/gadgets/ruminations-on-the-nature-of-the-key/#comment-50 The future of the key is that it will disappear. Once the things we lock up today know who we are and what we intend, the key will be a thing of the past. We'll be our own keys. Objects that contain valuables will be aware of their environment, know their owners, and be network connected. Your house won't have a lock that requires you to carry a key, it just won't open for anyone that it doesn't know or that you have told it isn't permitted inside. Your car will recognize the allowed drivers and will only start for them. Etc. A "person recognition" based lock system will consist of a network of sensors such as cameras, microphones, etc. around your home or in your car which are connected to a local server and/or remote alarm service. Multiple sensor types can be combined for a more robust system. This will allow your home or vehicle to detect the presence of people wanting to enter, identify them as known or unknown, and even estimate their intentions before allowing them access. The locks themselves will be IP addressable and will open when the appropriate authorization is presented by another entity on the network. Fingerprints or PINs could be used as well for added security as well as alternates for fail over, but as available processing power increases in the next decade or so they won't be needed in either the home or (probably) the automotive setting. JimmyG's example of the car is interesting in sort of a "worst practices" sort of way, since a simple timer could have fixed the problem described. That is the car could open based on proximity of the key fob and then lock itself after a few minutes if no one actually starts it. This would fix most of these cases I'd guess. The user could have been allowed to adjust this time out from the existing controls an displays. FWIW, my Acura already does something like this but I can't adjust the time out. Going back to biometric based locks, if the car "knew" its drivers, this capability could be extended to include a robust model of driver behavior to determine their intentions. These sorts of models have been used successfully in simulations of complex man/machine systems as well as in predictive modes in real-time settings. The "intention to drive" requires the driver not only approaching the vehicle but also entering it and sitting in the driver's seat. A system that can detect and identify the driver can also use these sorts of simple state based models to estimate the driver's future intentions. Simply approaching the vehicle might cause a lower security state for example so you could open the trunk, but it wouldn't start the car. The passenger cabin would unlock once your identity had been confrimed and when you reached a hand towards the door handle. There are lots of possibilities once the car knows who owns it, who is trying to get in, and has even a limited model of their intentions. The future of the key is that it will disappear. Once the things we lock up today know who we are and what we intend, the key will be a thing of the past. We’ll be our own keys.

Objects that contain valuables will be aware of their environment, know their owners, and be network connected. Your house won’t have a lock that requires you to carry a key, it just won’t open for anyone that it doesn’t know or that you have told it isn’t permitted inside. Your car will recognize the allowed drivers and will only start for them. Etc.

A “person recognition” based lock system will consist of a network of sensors such as cameras, microphones, etc. around your home or in your car which are connected to a local server and/or remote alarm service. Multiple sensor types can be combined for a more robust system.

This will allow your home or vehicle to detect the presence of people wanting to enter, identify them as known or unknown, and even estimate their intentions before allowing them access. The locks themselves will be IP addressable and will open when the appropriate authorization is presented by another entity on the network. Fingerprints or PINs could be used as well for added security as well as alternates for fail over, but as available processing power increases in the next decade or so they won’t be needed in either the home or (probably) the automotive setting.

JimmyG’s example of the car is interesting in sort of a “worst practices” sort of way, since a simple timer could have fixed the problem described. That is the car could open based on proximity of the key fob and then lock itself after a few minutes if no one actually starts it. This would fix most of these cases I’d guess. The user could have been allowed to adjust this time out from the existing controls an displays. FWIW, my Acura already does something like this but I can’t adjust the time out.

Going back to biometric based locks, if the car “knew” its drivers, this capability could be extended to include a robust model of driver behavior to determine their intentions. These sorts of models have been used successfully in simulations of complex man/machine systems as well as in predictive modes in real-time settings.

The “intention to drive” requires the driver not only approaching the vehicle but also entering it and sitting in the driver’s seat. A system that can detect and identify the driver can also use these sorts of simple state based models to estimate the driver’s future intentions. Simply approaching the vehicle might cause a lower security state for example so you could open the trunk, but it wouldn’t start the car. The passenger cabin would unlock once your identity had been confrimed and when you reached a hand towards the door handle.

There are lots of possibilities once the car knows who owns it, who is trying to get in, and has even a limited model of their intentions.

]]> by: Greg Cote http://alsop-louie.com/gadgets/ruminations-on-the-nature-of-the-key/#comment-45 Fri, 16 Mar 2007 18:32:36 +0000 http://alsop-louie.com/gadgets/ruminations-on-the-nature-of-the-key/#comment-45 The future is already here - http://www.sargentandgreenleaf.com/prod_elect_bio_keypad.php The future is already here - http://www.sargentandgreenleaf.com/prod_elect_bio_keypad.php

]]> by: JimmyG http://alsop-louie.com/gadgets/ruminations-on-the-nature-of-the-key/#comment-36 Thu, 22 Feb 2007 03:05:04 +0000 http://alsop-louie.com/gadgets/ruminations-on-the-nature-of-the-key/#comment-36 Problem with communication between key and door is "intent". Proximity to the car does not equal "I want it to unlock". Found this out when walking past the car after a walk to the local village. Went into the house and next morning found that someone had opened up all the glove boxes, etc. as the car was open all night. It was only after the fact that we realized that the car instinctively thought we wanted to go for a ride, but had misread our intent. Problem with communication between key and door is “intent”. Proximity to the car does not equal “I want it to unlock”. Found this out when walking past the car after a walk to the local village. Went into the house and next morning found that someone had opened up all the glove boxes, etc. as the car was open all night. It was only after the fact that we realized that the car instinctively thought we wanted to go for a ride, but had misread our intent.

]]> by: Ben http://alsop-louie.com/gadgets/ruminations-on-the-nature-of-the-key/#comment-29 Fri, 16 Feb 2007 11:16:18 +0000 http://alsop-louie.com/gadgets/ruminations-on-the-nature-of-the-key/#comment-29 The solutions for swipe cards are usually relatively expensive. Longer range technology also requires batteries and is subject to the possibility of being hacked. Some studies report the ability to effectively jam locking devices using this method by flooding them with signals, thereby locking an individual inside or outside and potentially disabling the system. There is also the issue of privacy - if the use of systems became widespread so would the use of copying technologies, in the case of RFID technology such systems are already available. This could potentially allow people to copy all of your keys without ever coming into contact with you. The solutions for swipe cards are usually relatively expensive. Longer range technology also requires batteries and is subject to the possibility of being hacked. Some studies report the ability to effectively jam locking devices using this method by flooding them with signals, thereby locking an individual inside or outside and potentially disabling the system. There is also the issue of privacy - if the use of systems became widespread so would the use of copying technologies, in the case of RFID technology such systems are already available. This could potentially allow people to copy all of your keys without ever coming into contact with you.

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