Apple’s AirPods could soon verify a user’s identity based on the inside of their ear, which could stop them from being used by thieves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tech giant has filed a patent for an in-ear biometric device that uses ultrasonic signals reflected against the walls of a user\u2019s ear canal.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Such technology would prevent lost AirPods from being used by anyone other than the owner if they get misplaced or stolen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Currently,\u00a0AirPods and other headphones pose a security risk because anyone can wear them to give Siri commands or even access private information.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new patent, granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office and listed on January 27, was first noticed by\u00a0Patently Apple.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although Apple files many patents that haven’t made it to market, the tech giant says this patent ‘relates generally to user identification and, more specifically, to user identification using headphones’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, AirPods aren’t specifically mentioned in the patent, suggesting the product could come under a different name. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It would act as a new form of biometrics, just like facial recognition and fingerprint detection are already used to unlock smartphones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Apple admits conventional wireless headphones that connect to a person’s smartphone typically allow use by an unauthorised person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘Conventional systems do not address whether the user wearing the headphones is authorised to interact with personal features of the device, such as receiving messages from the device,’\u00a0the patent\u00a0reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘As a result, conventional systems may risk releasing personal information from an associated device to unauthorized wearers of corresponding headphones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘Accordingly, improved systems for user identification using headphones is desired.’\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the technology comes to market, the device would emit ultrasonic sound waves \u2013 those outside the range of human hearing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Variations in the surface of the user’s ear canal may cause the ultrasonic signal to reflect off the skin surface and generate an echo with a unique signature that is associated with the user and no-one else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘For example, a user having a larger ear canal may result in an echo having a longer reverberation time than a user having a smaller ear canal,’ Apple says in the patent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As an alternative to using ultrasonic waves, Apple may create headphones that detect a person’s gait \u2013 the way they walk, the patent also suggests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘The gait information may include, for example, information regarding a user’s walking and\/or running characteristics, such as characteristics related to steps, pace, stride, and the like,’ Apple says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Currently, Apple’s flagship headphone product is the wireless third-generation AirPods, released last October and priced at \u00a3169 ($179). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new AirPods are water and sweat resistant and boast a six-hour battery life \u2013 nearly 40 minutes longer than its predecessor \u2013 and a charging case providing up to 30 hours of power. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Apple also still offers the wired EarPods, which are significantly cheaper, priced at \u00a319.\u00a0
Source: Daily Mail <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Apple’s AirPods could soon verify a user’s identity based on the inside of their ear, which could stop them from being used by thieves. The tech giant has filed a patent for an in-ear biometric device that uses ultrasonic signals reflected against the walls of a user\u2019s ear canal.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Such technology would prevent lost AirPods from being …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43072,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-news","category-tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43071"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43071\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43073,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43071\/revisions\/43073"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}