Device that stops mobile phone thieves developed |
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Sun, 16 Oct 2005 10:05
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HELSINKI: Scientists in Finland have developed a device that can make it difficult for thieves to steal mobile phones and laptops. The device is capable of identifying the owner's walking style and when it finds something odd, it can deactivate the gadgets linked to it.
Researchers at Finland's VTT Technical Research Center, who have made the device and patented it, said it can prevent thefts of millions of portable appliances. Its motion sensors measure some of the characteristics of the user's gait and store them in its memory. It then constantly monitors the walking style of the owner and when it finds some aberration, deactivates the gadget.
It also uses a password and prompts the user to give the password if it suspects that the gadget is in wrong hands. The user can also activate his gadget using the password in case of an inadvertent shutdown.
The developers of the device, Heikki Ailisto and his team of researchers at VTT Technical Research Centre, are scouting for a company that can commercially produce the device.
Ailisto said the system has limitations like it works well when the gadget attached to it is kept pinned to the user's belt. It is rather less reliable when carried in a bag. Wearing high heel shoes, or having a foot injury or even walking under the influence of liquor can lead the device to act, said Ailisto.
He said the system can be adapted for use in credit cards too.
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