- Chinese researchers have developed ‘AccLock’
- This uses your heartbeat to verify your identity
- All it needs is earbuds with accelerometers
Researchers from several universities in China have developed a technology they called AccLock, and it’s basically Ear ID. It’s a way of verifying your identity using your heartbeat, as detected by your earbuds — even if your buds don’t have the kind of built-in heart-rate sensors you get in AirPods Pro 3.
The idea is that your earbuds will be able to recognize your unique palpitations, to verify that you’re you, and to unlock access to things like your PC or phone, or perhaps even a smart door lock.
According to the paper, earbuds were chosen because they “remain closely coupled with the wearer during everyday use,” so if you’re the kind of person who’s constantly wearing your AirPods when out and about, you inspired this choice.
In testing AccLock, the researchers did in fact use AirPods, as well as their own custom-made earphones, and so it clearly could work within Apple’s system. But it doesn’t have to, because it only relies on motion-sensing tech rather than a dedicated heart tracker.
Open hearted
Instead of a dedicated heart-rate sensor, the tool simply uses a motion-sensing accelerometer, the kind of which plenty of earbuds already pack.
An accelerometer is used to measure things like acceleration, vibration and orientation. In earbuds, they can be used for different tools: gesture controls, head tracking or spatial audio, depending on the bud.
Some low-end earbuds may miss them, but generally, it’s a common component. And so, in theory, AccLock could work on many earbuds, using the accelerometer to recognize your heartbeat.
Again, this is all hypothetical, but sometimes these studies can mirror what companies are actually considering. For example new research we reported on regarding AirPods with cameras is matched by some reports suggesting Apple is actually considering adding this tech to future AirPods.
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