Log In to Your SmartPhone with a Finger-Drawn Doodle Instead of a Password
Numerical security may soon be a thing of the past when swiping shapes take over the safety of your mobile phone. Finland’s Aalto University along with Rutgers University are researching the possibility of the use of a finger to draw a shape that will ascertain…
Numerical security may soon be a thing of the past when swiping shapes take over the safety of your mobile phone.
Finland’s Aalto University along with Rutgers University are researching the possibility of the use of a finger to draw a shape that will ascertain the identity and they call the process “free-form gesture authentication.” Following tests, it was discovered that a doodle was as fast and easy to remember as a passcode.
Rutgers assistant professor Janne Lindqvist states that they are quick to set up and use. The paper co-written by him will be presented at the ACM-CHI conference in San Jose, California. The research has taken two years in a lab and now it is time to try it in every-day life. In all 92 students participated in the two-week long trial, where they logged into a total of 8 fake accounts. It took 22% less time to log in and 42% to set up. Users chose hearts, stars and squares for their shapes.
READ ALSO: HTC is bringing 3D Touch-like Features to the Next Nexus Model
It was not all good news however as there were 50% more mistakes made when inputting. This was early on, and it was noticed that things improved and it was a matter of adapting to the new process.
It is yet to be determined as to whether or not a hacker would manage to break into a phone using gesture-based security over time. The way the shape is swiped could be the answer to hacking, but users must be accurate.
Related Coverage
- Intel Gave Up After Investing $10 billion To Catch Up With The SmartPhone Market
- The AstroRad Radiation Shield: The New Protective Vest for Deep Space Travel
- Want Solar Power But on a Budget? Use Blu-Ray Discs Instead!
- Tedious Film Editing Could Soon Become a Thing of the Past
- 4D-printed Shape-Shifting Architectures That Mimic Plant Movements
Don't miss new tech stories on Google
Add TrendinTech once in the Google app and our stories appear in your news suggestions.
Owen Castellanos
Owen Castellanos is the Hardware & Gaming Reporter at TrendinTech, where he tests graphics cards, processors, consoles and peripherals and follows the games industry, from the major publishers to independent studios. He previously wrote reviews and benchmarks for Tom's Hardware and contributed features to PC Gamer, covering everything from laptop testing to the economics of game development. Owen holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and attends CES in Las Vegas, Computex in Taipei and the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco each year to meet chipmakers and developers. He writes for readers who want to know whether a product is worth the money, and he is not shy about saying when it is not.
All stories by Owen Castellanos (252)