The Nymi works through an electronics module that incorporates an ECG sensor with two electrodes
Heartbeat recognition could soon be used to unlock doors, start cars and even pay for your shopping thanks to new, wearable software currently under development.
The Nymi is a lightweight, wearable wristband which authenticates a user’s identity through their electrocardiogram (ECG) - or heartbeat rhythm.
Canadian company Bionym, the creator of Nymi, say the technology is more unique and harder to forge than a fingerprint.
The Nymi’s ECG recognition algorithms observe the shape of the wearer's heartbeat, extracting unique and consistent features.
The hi-tech bracelet works by reading the wearer's ECG 'wave pattern' and finding its unique identifiers to use as an alternative to asking for a Pin number or password.
The technology is currently being tested out with £9 million in funding from financial companies including Mastercard.
It's creators say the Nymi is robust against a wide variety of health issues, and even if the rhythm of the wearer's heartbeat varies - for instance, during exercise - the shape of the unique ECG wave pattern is still recognisable and the device will still work.
During authentication the system is able to ignore low frequency anomalies and will still correctly identify its owner, while a medical condition such as cardiac arrhythmia or the use of pacemakers will not impact the Nymi’s performance because every heartbeat, even an irregular one, has a unique signature.
Founded in 2011, Bionym is based in Toronto and the project is currently being privately-funded by Ignition Partners, Relay Ventures, Mastercard and Salesforce Ventures.
The Nymi Band is its first product, which it bills as a 'wearable technology device that delivers persistent identity experiences by using the wearer's unique electric cardiac signature as a biometric.'
When the Nymi is activated, it communicates a secure, digitally signed identity credential via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to smart devices - everything from a smartphone, to a vehicle, to a locked door.
Unlike an iris scan or fingerprint sensor, the device can take a reading without the wearer interacting with it.
Balaji Gopalan, a director at Bionym, said: 'Anywhere you go the bracelet will identify you to other devices, which could be the payments wallet on your smartphone, or in future, cash machines, cars and computers.
The wearer is authenticated when they first put on the wristband, which enables continuous access to services and devices via wireless communication.
As soon as it is removed from the wearer’s body, it becomes deactivated.
新型可佩戴設(shè)備不久后可將心跳識別應(yīng)用于打開門鎖、啟動汽車,和支付賬款,設(shè)備目前還在研發(fā)中。
Nymi是一款重量輕,可配戴的手環(huán),通過心電圖或心跳節(jié)奏來識別使用者身份。
Nymi的發(fā)明者加拿大公司Bionym表示,這項技術(shù)比指紋識別更特別且難以模仿。
Nymi的心電圖識別法通過觀察使用者的心電圖形狀提取出獨特、一致的特征。
智能手環(huán)讀取佩戴者心電圖的“波形”,找出獨特的識別碼作為密碼。
這項技術(shù)目前正接受檢測,檢測資金共9百萬英鎊,來源于包括萬事達(Mastercard)在內(nèi)的多家金融公司。
設(shè)計者說,Nymi能夠應(yīng)對各種健康問題,即使是使用者心跳節(jié)奏的變化。例如,在運動時獨特的心電圖波形也可辨認,設(shè)備可繼續(xù)工作。
測試證明,系統(tǒng)可以忽略低頻率異常現(xiàn)象,準確識別主人。心律不齊之類的狀況或使用心臟起搏器不會影響Nymi的工作,因為即使是不規(guī)則的心跳也具有每個人自己的特點。
Bionym成立于2011年,總部位于多倫多,這個項目目前由啟明投創(chuàng)(Ignition Partners)、Relay Ventures、萬事達信用卡(Mastercard)和Salesforce公司進行私人資助。
Nymi手環(huán)是這家公司的第一個產(chǎn)品,公司將它宣傳為“可佩帶的科技裝置,通過使用佩戴者的心電圖特點傳遞穩(wěn)定識別信息”。
Nymi手環(huán)一旦被激活,就會通過低功耗藍牙技術(shù)將安全的數(shù)字身份證書傳遞給智能設(shè)備,從手機到汽車和上鎖的門。
與虹膜掃描和指紋傳感器不同,智能手環(huán)可在佩戴者不與其互動的情況下讀取信息。
Bionmy主管巴拉吉·高普蘭稱:“無論你去哪兒,手環(huán)都會向其他設(shè)備證明你的身份,可以是手機支付錢包,將來也可能是自動柜員機、汽車,和電腦。
佩戴者第一次帶上手環(huán)時就會被認證,以保證接下來的與服務(wù)器和設(shè)備的無線溝通。
佩戴者一旦摘下手環(huán),手環(huán)就失效了。