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Bones Could Become Conduits For Data Swaps 134

Posted by Zonk from the shin-bone-connects-to-the-rj-45-jack dept.
Billosaur writes "New Scientist Tech has an intriguing article about researchers at Rice University in Houston, TX who are looking at ways to use the human skeleton to transmit data. The idea is to use bones to conduct sound waves, with 0's and 1's being represented by different frequencies. Preliminary results, shared with a conference on body networks in Florence, Italy, this week, show that bones can conduct even low-power vibrations with few errors. The idea is that the conduction of sound along bone would be more secure than that via radio waves, leading to the possibility of swapping data with someone by shaking their hand."
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Bones Could Become Conduits For Data Swaps More

Bones Could Become Conduits For Data Swaps

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  • That makes sense. (Score:4, Funny)

    by hkgroove ( 791170 ) on Friday June 15, 2007 @10:24AM (#19519557) Homepage
    I knew they got it wrong. Tinfoil does not stop the transmissions to my teeth!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Enoxice ( 993945 )
      Well what are you waiting for, then, let me see ya grillz!


      Oh, God, did I actually just say that?

    • Bones? (Score:1, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor not a data conduit!
    • they should have asked drummers; they have been passing sound through "dem bones" for generations...

    • Re:That makes sense. (Score:4, Funny)

      by monk.e.boy ( 1077985 ) on Friday June 15, 2007 @11:14AM (#19520341) Homepage

      My bone already has the ability to pass enough data to make a baby.

      But not through a hand shake.

      Insert joke about hand shandy.

      :-P

      monk.e.boy

      • Hehehe..I was thinking along the same lines.

        If they could figure out how to do this communication via the "extra" bone a man has.....every handshake message transfer with a woman would lead to a 'happy ending'.

        Not to mention how many men would go into the profession of 'messenger'.

        :-)

      • "People could even swap information between devices via a firm handshake, Zhong suggests."

        I'm told the Masons do this already: - albeit only one bit: I am/am not.

    • Belch at the wrong time any you one-click purchased a lot 1000 beanie babys on e-bay. Farts cause a seg fault.
  • And passing spam -- o eeewwww yuck!

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by epistemiclife ( 1101021 )
      It would rather suck if we became weary of handshaking for fear of filling our interfaced electronic devices with spam or (computer) viruses. I suppose that, in a bizarre way, it's a way for computer viruses to become human viruses.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by Cornflake917 ( 515940 )

      leading to the possibility of swapping data with someone by shaking their hand.
      A new, disgusting way of obtaining porn.

      "Here's Shaving Ryan's Privates: Midget Edition."

      "Sweet thanks!"

      *Squish*

      "...ummm, what the hell. Did you wash your hands?"

      "Oops!"

    • ... from billboards in the future could be just what you fear.

      Depending on which medical uses people have for this "new" acoustic network, the results can be more serious than funny. If I had disabilities, M$ is the last company I'd want helping me out.

  • Should this ever be implemented, I await with much interest the inevitable methods developed for eavesdropping.

  • when it breaks (Score:4, Funny)

    by qw0ntum ( 831414 ) on Friday June 15, 2007 @10:26AM (#19519595) Journal
    Lends new meaning to the term "broken pipe."

  • I can see this really taking off (Score:3, Insightful)

    by grahamsz ( 150076 ) on Friday June 15, 2007 @10:26AM (#19519605) Homepage Journal
    An implanted vibrator that would allow me to securely send data from my phone to someone elses phone. Really, how often does bluetooth actually fail to beam a business card?

    Also I'd expect that the vibrations would exit through your feet and allow for snooping from ground based devices.

    I can see the potential in the medical device field.
  • Excuse me ma'am I need you to bend over so my bone can you some information. Careful the information will come in spurts....
  • I need to find out who funded this research. With the chance for practical usage ever at about 0.001%, it's clear that someone just has money to piss away if this is the research they're doing. That being said, I need USD$5 million to research a rocket car.
    • That's sorta' what research is about. Studying problems that most people don't think have an immediate business case or that most businesses think aren't likely enough to succeed to warrant investment. Sometimes you find something that is practical, sometimes you find something that is interesting and a lot of the time all you take away is a little more knowledge than you had going in. In this case, they've found that it's reasonable to transfer information through bones. I can think of a million of (un

    • Re:Who funded this? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Otter ( 3800 ) on Friday June 15, 2007 @10:46AM (#19519887) Journal
      I need to find out who funded this research. With the chance for practical usage ever at about 0.001%, it's clear that someone just has money to piss away if this is the research they're doing.

      As is frequently the case here (think yesterday's story about the judge supposedly demanding that RAM be turned over), if you read a blurb here and think "If true, that person must be really stupid!", it's worth R'ingTFA.

      As usual, the submitter completely missed the point of the link.

    • Imaging the military use for this. Soldiers could act like a connected grid, and since it's part of the actual body little to no actual material or weight is needed.
      • Seen many military charges since WW1 where soldiers walk on a long line holding hands to 'get yourself connected'?

      • Imaging the military use for this. Soldiers could act like a connected grid, and since it's part of the actual body little to no actual material or weight is needed.
        Yeah, they just need to hold hands and be still for a few minutes! Ideal for enemy snipers, but for us, not so good...

  • Great (Score:3)

    by shoptroll ( 544006 ) on Friday June 15, 2007 @10:33AM (#19519701)
    Just what we need... an excuse for the MAFIAA to subpoena our bodies for network traffic analysis.

  • leading to the possibility of swapping data with someone by shaking their hand.
    Gives new meaning to the protocol's "3-way handshake"

  • Comment removed (Score:3, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Friday June 15, 2007 @10:37AM (#19519745)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • More details... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Tmack ( 593755 ) on Friday June 15, 2007 @10:37AM (#19519749) Homepage Journal
    During their extensive research and experiments, scientists discovered that sharing information between two people worked best with direct pelvis to pelvis contact, and have coined the term "PtoP" networking...

    tm

  • People could even swap information between devices via a firm handshake, Zhong suggests.

    So, all of us slashdotters are finally going to have to develop firm handshakes. The horror! Will it also require looking people in the eye and smiling?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Reziac ( 43301 ) *
      Not me... I ain't letting someone steal my identity-related data just by shaking my hand!!

      Seriously, that could be an issue -- but I can see benefits, such as being able to carry and transmit data without a dedicated interface device; or how about using it for devices to aid the disabled?

       
  • Conducting data by sending vibrations on my bones? This technology is making me tingle with anticipation.

  • Muahahahaha (Score:5, Funny)

    by Experiment 626 ( 698257 ) on Friday June 15, 2007 @10:39AM (#19519799)

    So, human bones can be used to transmit data? Now, not only does my necromantic fortress of doom's decor scare the crap out of my enemies, I can save a fortune on cat-5 and fiber cabling.

  • Man, You thought airport security was intrusive before! Wait until they have to crack all your bones to find out what you're hiding.

    I think I'll walk from now on.

    • Just think of what this will do to chiropractors... they'll all suddenly have to become IT experts.

      Chiropractor: Here's the reason your bandwidth is so low... CRAAAAACCCKKK!!!

  • Like curiosity this good, but the copper is more cheap.
    • Ok, try again, but this time use a few more verbs and proper conjugations. It almost made sense there.
  • Now, instead of watching someone fiddle with their palm's bluetooth settings for 5 minutes to send me an E-business card, I have to hold their clammy hand until the devices sync up.
  • So now I can get virus and VIRUS by shaking hands with people? I think I will bow from now on.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by DriveDog ( 822962 )
      Bow until heads touch... much more sonically conductive path than through a handshake. Substitute head lice for viruses transmitted. Thicker skulls probably work better. As usual, those with the least information share the most.
  • I've never heard of that at all...

    Admittedly, I did not read TFA, so maybe they said something about this, but it should be no surprise at all that one can use bones to transmit sound, as well as other frequencies. A high school (maybe even jr. high) level biology book will tell you that the mechanisms in ears that are responsible for interpreting sound waves into what we actually hear consist largely of several bones in the inner ear. Plus, wasn't Docomo working on a phone that strapped to your wrist and
    • I do remember reading about some headset microphones that actually pick up sound from the vibration of your skull instead of from the vibration of the air.

  • Weather Prediction. (Score:4, Funny)

    by pavon ( 30274 ) on Friday June 15, 2007 @10:55AM (#19520027)
    A storm's a-coming, I can feel it in ma bones.

    Yeah yeah gramps, we all can. It's just the hourly SkyNet Subcutaneous Weather update.

    Galdarn kids these days, no respect.

  • Uh.. (Score:2, Funny)

    by le0p ( 932717 ) *
    I anticipate a lot of uncomfortable conversations about "boning."

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by u-bend ( 1095729 )
      Time to bone up on a little philosophy homework....
      Sticks and stones will break my bones, but only malware hurts me....
      Throw me a bone (let me steal that album)....
  • Demonstrates a much more fun way of swapping data. But this discussion probably should stay family-friendly. Yes, the last thing you want to think about there is children.
  • leading to the possibility of swapping data with someone by shaking their hand.

    Except in a handshake, there would be two layers of fat, muscle, and skin separating your bones, which I would think would interfere with data transmission. Perhaps a good hard bite could be used to make a good connection?

  • Obligatory (Score:2, Funny)

    by PPH ( 736903 )
    Insert jokes about downloading pr0n via one's bone here:
  • I guess they never heard of the 'bone phone' from DAK back in the 80's.

    Cant anyone do something original anymore? Or are we doomed to bad sequels and re-inventing the wheel for the rest of our existence on this planet?
  • ....boner (get it, get it?) in your pocket or are you just wanting to swap data with me?
  • I believe it was made illegal in the 50's-60's in Canada because it was though to cause bone (cartilage) degridation, and arthritis.

    Transmitting 1's an 0's is new, as these were originally made to hear music throughout your entire body. If someone has a link, I don't, but I heard about this from my grandparents when I was younger.
  • Sure beats swapping spit and taking a blood oath.

  • Health issues? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by incer ( 1071224 )
    What about health issues? And how does it work out with diseases (or disfunctions) like Osteoporosis and Arthritis?
  • There is something badly wrong with this article and it reflects very badly on the standard of journalism in New Scientist magazine. The article suggests that using bone vibrations to send messages is necessarily secure (against interception) because interception requires direct physical contact. However, that claim simply is not true. It should be obviously untrue from an understanding of elementary physics.

    Think what happens when the device is operating. The vibrations it generates will propagate as soun

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by geekoid ( 135745 )
      yeah...except the bones are insulated with flesh. Which absorb, diffue and dampen the vibration.
      So you would need to filter uot all the other noises the body makes as well. SInce that is defferent from person to person, and day to day...good luck.

      • No, the grandparent comment is correct. You have misunderstood how the device works.

        The primary source of the vibrations is not the bones themselves. The article clearly says a vibrator is attached to various parts of the body, and a sensor is attached on the wrist to measure the vibrations. The vibrations travel through the flesh and bones, and reach the sensor (#1) on the wrist where they are measured.

        The important point made by the grandparent is that the vibrator generates vibrations not only in the

  • Now "Reach out and touch someone" has some actual meaning to it.

  • another verison of this from 1996 (Score:3, Informative)

    by fikx ( 704101 ) on Friday June 15, 2007 @11:54AM (#19520939) Journal
    quoted from the write-up: "... The idea is that the conduction of sound along bone would be more secure that via radio waves, leading to the possibility of swapping data with someone by shaking their hand."
    This general idea was also tackled by Thomas Zimmerman doing research for IBM. His idea did the same thing using signals carried on the skin (which didn't need the FIRM handshake to work :) Not sure how that compares to this, but both manage the same trick
    Here's a link : PAN Fact Sheet [ibm.com]

  • New RIAA tactic (Score:4, Funny)

    by frdmfghtr ( 603968 ) on Friday June 15, 2007 @12:09PM (#19521157)
    Now when the RIAA sues you for "an arm and a leg," they won't be kidding!
  • Come on, everybody! Group Hug! :)
  • Rumor has it that bones can hold 80 gigabytes of info, 160 if you use a doubler.
  • Not entirely sure if this is a pisstake or not, but one possible application could be bluetooth headsets.
    The current generation are, well, crap basically. They don't stay in your ear very well and the mic is either on a long boom and ridiculous or doesn't pick up too well with background noise (driving).
    How about a device (patches) that sends and receives signals by bone and relays to the phone by bluetooth. The ear relies on sound waves already, and I'm sure there is enough bone vibration from your voice t
  • I would like to know if XXX would work as well, download me a boner.
  • this doesn't make any sense. If you have the ability to phisically touch the recipient of the data, why not just use a cable? Or standardize a sort of "clip" usb port where you just have to touch the other phone to transmit data if you are paranoid about someone intercepting your data transfer and don't want to use a clunky cable?
  • I remember that there were a gadget, worn like a watch which could exchange business cards communicating with current on top of the skin.

    It never went anywhere.
  • considering that the human body transmit sound data via bone already (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ossicles), they may have problems patenting this.
  • Anyone noticed in the article the research is sponsored by TI and Microsoft? http://images.slashdot.org/topics/topicms.gif [slashdot.org] Here comes Bill Gates of Borg!
  • The skeletons on Looney Toons were doing this 20 years ago.
  • So the next social networking game will be 'six shakes of Kevin Bacon'?
  • "Dammit Jim, I'm a Doctor, not a conduit."

    ~ Bones

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