Microsoft Patents The Body Bus

Mz6 writes "Microsoft has been awarded a patent for using human skin as a power conduit and data bus. Patent No. 6,754,472, which was published Tuesday, describes a method for transmitting power and data to devices worn on the body and for communication of data between those devices. In its filing, Microsoft cites the proliferation of wearable electronic devices, such as wristwatches, pagers, PDAs (worn on people's belts) and small displays that can now be mounted on headgear. "As a result of carrying multiple portable electronic devices, there is often a significant amount of redundancy in terms of input/output devices included in the portable devices used by a single person," says the filing. "For example, a watch, pager, PDA and radio may all include a speaker." To reduce the redundancy of input/output devices, Microsoft's patent proposes a personal area network that allows a single data input or output device to be used by multiple portable devices." (What about DoCoMo's research in this area?)

So, instead of each device having a speaker...

[foxtrot]

...a relatively small, cheap speaker, each device will instead have a relatively large, expensive widget to use our nerves as cat-5 (human-5?) so we only have to shlep around one little speaker?

They are kidding, right?

-JDF

Re:Handshaking

[earthman]

Already some years ago I have read somewhere (link, anyone?) about how this kind of technology could be used to automatically exchange virtual business cards when you shake hands with someone. So this isn't exactly something new.

See IBM

[TheLink]

There's some prior art for data transmission:
http://www.almaden.ibm.com/cs/user/ pan/pan.html

Where MS patent is different is they claim to do _power_ transmission as well.

I wonder about a Mr Tesla...

That said, I'm personally not comfortable with the idea of transmitting significant amounts of electrical power through my body- even low level power. Not sure what the side effects would be.

Already there are some studies that indicate that electromagnetic fields do affect the body AND brain [cognitiveliberty.org].

Re:So, instead of each device having a speaker...

[Planesdragon]

No.

Instead of each device having a battery and a wireless radio, each device will have a data I/O and a power I/O device. You'll be able to have one efficient battery power your watch, PDA, cell phone, and display-eye-wear.

Re:Handshaking

[Anonymous Coward]

some people at the MIT were working on this some years ago

Re:This might be valid

[mikael]

They measure resistance conducted through the human body. Any standard electronic voltmeter can be programmed to measure resistance in the low ohm range.

With the Atari series of computers, it was possible to use human body as a game controller. By holding onto a pair of connectors connected to the paddle input pins, it was possible to change the resistance of the circuit by changing how strongly you gripped the connectors.

Cell Phones = Brain Tumors....

[LabRat007]

Body Bus = Skin Cancer?

It will certainly be a while before the long term effects of data or power over skin will be available. The lower levels of the epidermis constantly divide and push older dying cells outward to protect the body (info) [about.com]. Many things can cause improper division and lead to cancer. UV radiation everyone should already know about but so can excessive amounts from other radiant energy sources; such as electromagnetic or microwave. I don't believe short term exposure to low levels of energy have any chance of causeing problems in a healthy adult; but years of exposure over the same areas may be another story. There is no way in hell I want devices sending messages or power across my skin until there is significant data to say its safe.

Re:Handshaking

[Mr. Sane]

Yes -- see IBMs [ibm.com] paper on the subject.... note the date of the -prior art- demonstration: November 18-19, 1996 -- Microsoft filed their patent April 27, 2000. I wonder where they got there ideas from?

Re:This might be valid

[Anonymous Coward]

No, but he did demonstrate using the body to conduct electricity, i.e. supplying power to a device.

IBM Patent?

[NoSuchGuy]

There was a commercial campaign about 1997 or 1996 befor the CeBIT trade fair. That showed 2 business men shake hands and exchange digital business cards.

Maybe IBM was first in this one....

Just my 2 (Euro-)Cents....

Here is the zimmerman Patent

[bensonandhedges]

well sort of [uspto.gov]

Re:And in other news....

[2names]

Microsoft sues every living thing that has a nervous system. They are all electrical, right? They all pass data, right? They have input/output devices, right?

We are really screwed now.

Re:This might be valid

[Anonymous Coward]

Wear do current technologies like Heart Rate Monitors fit into this?

Polar, Nike, even Timex have what I'd call body based data bus technology already. Interesting patent to say the least, I wonder what is next. Beside a proliferation of IP lawyers.

Its not as bad as it seems

[Cat_Byte]

You have to remember that people LOVE to patent something and sue larger corporations like Microsoft. They're probably just being smart & heading off a potential lawsuit when some wise guy decides to patent using skin in this manner & sues the pants off Microsoft in some lame frivolous lawsuit. There are many instances that point the other direction...like Gateway suing the owner of gateway.com, who had owned the domain name long before they came into existance. Microsoft suing over using skin is not likely. I'm pretty sure this is defensive in nature.

Re:IBM did this years ago.

[drewzhrodague]

IIRC, couldah sworn I saw a NOVA episode with Alan Alda on this topic, and he transmitted data via his hand at low speeds (300bps?). This was way a while ago.

Boy do I wish I could afford to submit a patent application!

Re:This might be valid

[OhHellWithIt]

This is a good point, but the question then arises of whether the information is transmitted from the heart to the monitor, or whether the information is simply being transmitted from the skin to the monitor. And is the pulsing of the heart comparable to much more complex data?

I wonder what kind of interference there will be between this and pacemakers or cochlear implants. (Or are cochlear implants oblivious to the body's electrical currents?)

Upgrade path

[LiberalApplication]

So I guess this might ultimately allow the transfer of data literally through a handshake ...

If this becomes a standard, there will have to eventually be upgrade paths... right? I keep imagining things like subdermal conduits for improved bandwidth or current-carrying capacity. Geeks flaunting their gear with brightly colored stripes running down their arms, just beneath the skin.

Re:And in other news....

[DJStealth]

Sorry for the additional post, but I just realized, that many of those machines to calculate body fat transmit electrical signals through the body in order to obtain data on body fat, water, etc..

Re:This might be valid

[IsaacW]

A number of posts in this story have made the comparison between this patent and devices like heart rate monitors and body fat meters. The authors of those posts have missed the fact that the devices they are citing are sensors. They are not "sending data using skin as the phyiscal media," rather they are sensing some physical phenomenon (heart rate or body fat percentage) using some electronic device. These devices are not "prior art" to this patent, nor could this patent be used to challenge the manufacturing of these devices.

IBM had this in print 10+ years ago

[tweedlebait]

Can't remeber whether it was PopSci, SciAm or BYTE
but 10-15 yrs ago I remember an article about ibm
researchers doing business card and phone number
info between people using a handshake, or
having several peopole's devices 'synched' at once
using a banister / handrail.

Knowing IBM i'm pretty sure they paid a visit
to the patent office.

Re:This might be valid

[Jason1729]

I have a CB radio from the mid-80's that has a touch-plate along both sides and uses the body of the person holding it as an antenna.

what about ibm prior art?

[geraint-nz]

several years ago ibm showed(patented?) a system where suits at a conference could exchange electronic business cards by touching hands :-)