A new smartphone user authentication system based on gait analysis
A team of researchers at the University of Pretoria and City University of Hong Kong has recently developed a continuous smartphone user authentication system based on gait analysis. This system, outlined in a paper presented at the 44th annual conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, takes advantage of a device's pre-existing hardware, authenticating smartphone users based on their gait patterns.
The term 'gait' refers to the pattern of locomotion achieved by moving limbs while walking or running. Research has found that gait patterns differ greatly from person to person, to such an extent that gait analysis can be used for biometric authentication.
Existing biometric gait recognition tools can be grouped in three main categories: machine vision-based, floor sensor-based and wearable sensor-based methods. In machine vision-based gait recognition, a system uses cameras to acquire data and then analyzes it using image processing techniques.
Floor sensor-based gait recognition systems, on the other hand, work via a mat that can measure the force and speed associated with a person's steps. Finally, wearable sensor-based gait recognition systems use wearable devices with sensors, such as accelerometers, gyro sensors and force sensors, to detect and record gait activity.
"This paper presents the development of a smartphone user authentication system which takes advantage of the device's pre-existing hardware," the researchers wrote in their paper. "The authentication was based on a smartphone user's gait pattern, which is a biometric feature."
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