Abstract:
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In today’s society, an incredible amount of systems include an authentication process
before a user can access requested services ranging from logging into a computer
system or webpage, gaining access to secure buildings, or performing online
operations. Authentication has become the foundation that every secure system is
built upon. In the last few years, authentication systems based on biometrics have
been gaining ground at the expense of other methods. It seems that biometrics
provides the solution to ensure that services are accessed only by a legitimate user
and no one else.
This report studies the use of haptics as a new approach to authentication. The
project describes the design and implementation of a new two-factor authentication
system. First, tactile feelings provided by a haptic touchscreen are used to create a
personal sensations code. Next, a force sensor is used as a mechanism to extract
behavioural features that define a biometric verification system. In order to access
the system is not enough to introduce just the right sensations, which itself is difficult
to duplicate, but it must match the authentic user’s features.
With the purpose of testing this new idea, two experiments were conducted. The first
experiment was designed to test the capability of human minds to successfully
remember tactile feelings. The second experiment was engineered to test the
capability of the system to verify users from their force signatures.
After subjecting several volunteers to these experiments, results were conclusive that
the human mind is capable of remembering tactile sensations despite the need for
some training in some cases. It was also demonstrated that a distinctive biometric
feature could be extracted from a force signature, although the verification algorithm
presented in this report is just a first approximation to this possibility. This reports
concludes by suggesting options to improve the algorithm and enhance the tactile
authentication system. |