Secure Human-Internet using dynamic Human Body Communication

Abstract

Continuous miniaturization and cost reduction of unit computing has led to the prolific growth of smart wearable devices. These devices, present on and around the human body, form a complex network known as the Human-Intranet. The Human-Intranet is typically connected through Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN). However, Human Body Communication (HBC) has recently emerged as an energy-efficient and secure alternative that uses the human body as the communication medium. Human-human, human-machine interaction creates dynamic HBC channels, which allow these Human-Intranets to interact with each other forming a Human-Internet. In this paper, we present the concept and demonstration of Secure Human-Internet using dynamic HBC. We highlight important applications of Human-Internet and discuss the architecture of a wearable Human-Internet device capable of communicating through inter-body dynamic HBC. A custom-built hardware prototype is used to demonstrate for the first time information exchange (e.g. business card) during handshaking. Dynamic signal transfer characteristics during inter-body communication through handshake between two individuals wearing such devices are measured and analyzed. The effects of data transmission rate, handshake posture on the HBC based inter-body communication is explored to demonstrate its effectiveness and limitations under varying realistic scenarios. The specific COTS based HBC implementation shows > 8× better energy efficiency compared to the Bluetooth implementation.