Cutting Edge

Not just Biometrics, it's RedTacton

Without getting a lot of flashy press, a new technology called RedTacton may soon find its way into a new wave of security and access control products as well as other personal communication products.

First developed by Japanese NTT (Nippon Telephone & Telegraph) in 2005, RedTacton is a wireless very close range communication technology. Not infrared. Not radio waves. If you have ever heard of Kirlian photography you're part way there. If you understand what Kirlian photography is and how it works then your a few steps closer. But it's not Kirlian photography and it's not related to any kind of spiritual or non-spiritual "aura". It's based upon the the minute electrical field emitted by the human body - a very real phenomena common to every person on the planet.

The folks at NTT claim their technology heralds the dawn of Human Area Networking (HAN). A digital camera with a RedTacton device in it can download pictures to a RedTacton enabled computer when the user touches both devices. A similarly constructed door could be made to open only when people carrying the proper RedTacton tags touch the door handle.

Researchers at NTT point out that any human movement can be used to control equipment and perform other functions, such as collecting data or locking a door or traffic barrier with a hand gesture. Various companies are working right now to enhance their current security and surveillance products with RedTacton based technology. More advanced products, including human identification systems, are sure to arrive in the next few years if the technology pans out in the real world.

The technology in the RedTacton tag and transcievers is not something out of the future, or something acquired from Roswell. The RedTacton device uses the weak electrical field of the human body as the transmitting medium.  RedTacton uses an electro-optic crystal to collect data from minute changes in that weak electrical field and can perform at full duplex speeds of up to 10 megabits per second.  Researchers are quick to add that the signal never enters the human body or even the skin, it just travels across the surface.

Eventually this could lead to an entirely new range of products. You can bet we'll be keeping an eye on this cutting edge security technology here at CCTV Outlet, and when it's ready we'll be bringing it your way.

(You can see more about RedTacton technology at their official site. Click here.)

More Technical Articles

If you enjoyed this article you may enjoy these.

DSS - Slow Shutter Speed and Sens-Up
Understanding IR Security Cameras