Human Body Becomes Low-Power Communication Channel

BodyCom technology, created by Microchip, offers a framework for using the human body as a secure communication channel.  Compared to existing wireless methods, Microchip says BodyCom technology provides lower energy consumption, whilst further increasing security via bidirectional authentication.  BodyCom technology activates by capacitively coupling to the human body. The system then begins communicating bidirectionally between a centralised controller and one or more wireless units. It’s battery-friendly since there’s no need for a wireless transceiver or high-power inductive fields.  Antenna design is unnecessary; BodyCom complies with FCC Part 15-B for radiated emissions. It uses a low-frequency framework with a common microcontroller and standard AFE frequencies (125kHz and 8MHz), with no need for external crystals. The BodyCom Development V1.0 Framework is supplied through free software libraries that work on all of Microchip’s 8, 16, and 32bit PIC microcontrollers. Applications include Access Control.

MICROCHIP