Rede Tacton Seminor/ Project

What is RedTacton?

RedTacton is a technology that bridges the last networking gap, creating the HAN – Human Area Network, connecting the last meter.  It works by utilizing the electric field on the surface of the human body to transmit data between a RedTacton receiver and other devices.  Data can be transmitted at up to 10 mbps.  According to Technology Review, the “transceiver combines an optical receiver circuit equipped with a super-sensitive photonic electrical field sensor and a crystal to transmit data.”

Currently, RedTacton is gearing up to compete with Bluetooth, Zigbee, IrDA (infrared data association), UWB (ultra wide band), and other wireless communication forms.  These competing technologies are different in that they use radio frequency or light to transmit data short distances.  They also tend to work at slower speeds that RedTacton which, as mentioned before, uses the body’s electrical field to transmit at a high speed.  Additionally, since RedTacton requires touch and has a low potential for interference, it it much more secure than the competition.



NTT, the developer of RedTacton, has recently begun to try and commercialize the technology.  As reported on Gizmodo (02/25/2008), the technology is currently being marketed as a way to turn a human into a swipe card.  Instead of carrying access cards or wearing a wireless device, people would wear their RedTacton device and touch the doors or filing cabinets or other objects which would receive the security clearance from the device.  It would be more secure than traditional swipe cards, keys, or wireless signals.

What does it do?

When using a RedTacton device, the human body effectively becomes an Ethernet cable, so the body can use its electrical field to connect devices to networks or the internet.  For example, if a person wearing a RedTacton device sat at a table with RedTacton capabilities that was connected to the Internet, the laptop would immediately be connected to the internet.  While on the surface this seems similar to a wireless network connection, it is not.  There is a physical connection, the person.  Also, the connection is more secure and does not slow down if many people are using the same connection, as a wireless connection does.  --More--

How is it useful?

Many areas can benefit from this technology.  Initially, RedTacton could target security, the medical field, and the device communication field.  The medical field would benefit in many ways.  For example, implanted devices could use the technology to transmit information regarding their performance to doctors, patients wearing the device could quickly and securely transmit their medical history, and medicine containers could have chips embedded in them that when touched could send an alarm to the user, if the user’s device is programmed to know that an allergy to the medicine exists.  Device communication is where RedTacton would compete with Bluetooth.  Since RedTacton is more secure that Bluetooth, it would excel at connecting cell phones to headsets and transmitting data from one person’s PDA to another’s.  As mentioned before, RedTacton is already positioning itself to become a ‘human swipe card’ and become the ultimate security device.  One potential application that will be explored in depth is gun control. -- More --

Why aren't we using it?  What are the obstacles?

While RedTacton may be a superior technology, adoption could be slow since Bluetooth and other radio technologies are already entrenched.  Like those products, RedTacton will become more valuable as it is adopted.  If there is nothing for a person’s RedTacton device to talk to, it is essentially useless.  Also, initially, it will be comparatively expensive.  If security applications take off, particularly in the military field, it maybe years before the technology becomes available to consumers.  It does, however, have to potential to disrupt the Bluetooth market, since it is more secure and works at much higher speeds.  On the medical side, however, it may create a new market.  As far as security applications are concerned, it could be disruptive because it is such a secure way to communicate.  Radio swipe cards are much easier to manipulate than a RedTacton human swipe card.  Again, the biggest hurdle will be convincing consumers that the product is worth the premium that will be charged because it seems, on the surface, to be so similar to technologies that are already available.  Explaining why it is more secure and more efficient could be a challenge.  Management will need to seriously consider how it will be marketed and hire excellent marketing people to promote the product.  They will also need to find partners to share in the cost of development.



How it works? - in depth

RedTacton utilizes a point to point network, known as a piconet.  The P2P network allows information to be exchanged between two transceivers without the need for a server to store or process information.

RedTacton operates on the idea that optical properties of an electro-optic crystal can vary according to the changes of a person own electric field.  After contract with another RedTacton enabled device, the transmitter one wears induces an electric field on the body.  Next, the transceiver on the device detects changes in the wearers electric field which was caused by the device.  The devices then communicate and send data by inducing fluctuations in the electric field of the human body.  Data is received using a photonic electric field sensor that combines an electro-optic crystal and a laser light to detect fluctuations in the minute electric field.
Imagine holding your digital camera in one hand and touching a printer with your other which initiates the transfer of images from your camera to your printer.  In an instant you have downloaded your pictures and are ready to print them out without the need for connecting cables and intermediary devices such as a computer.


What does it need?

Each device we wish to communicate with must be equipped with a RedTacton transceiver that is able to detect the messages programmed into our own device.   We are able to program our devices to exchange specific types of information by using a programmable transceiver that connects to a any computer and allows users to customize their transmission settings through a graphical user interface.   Once our transmitter, that we wear, is programmed to recognize and exchange information with other devices we select, such as printers, we will be able to communicate with them easily.

In the event that we need the information we are exchanging to interact with or be processed by other applications, we will likely need a broadband connection to send that information over the internet to be processed and returned.   This would be the case with our subway turn style example previously discussed.

Who does it need?

All bargaining power in the consumer market lies with the device manufacturers who would be our buyers.  Our suppliers are companies such as NTT that provide this technology to the device manufacturers.   Currently, we define a device as any handheld communication medium such as a cell phone or PDA.  However, as this technology evolves and its popularity spreads, a device could be any piece of technology that we wish to exchange information with.

While device manufacturers may see the potential benefits of RedTacton technology, they will likely require a significant monetary  fee to influence them to build this new technology into their devices.  The introduction of new technologies into existing devices often requires significant design changes that can be costly and time consuming.  Unless the device manufacturer stands to benefit from the design change they may reject the new technology in favor of  promoting and developing the old one.

RedTacton also needs a lot of research and development.  The government, military, or medical professionals might be ideally suited to help further develop the technology and find other uses for it.

The Competition

Currently, many popular technologies exist in the marketplace which provide similar functions to RedTacton technology.  The first is Bluetooth.  Bluetooth is also a short range frequency allowing users to transmit data within approximately a 10M range.  Bluetooth, however, is unsecure.  The signal can be tapped into and used by others.  As mentioned previously, Zigbee, IrDA, and UWB are also potential competitors.

Other Obstacles

The most obvious barrier to entry is that the cost and time to develop Personal Area network technology is very expensive.  Second, as a new technology Personal Area networks need to gain popularity among users to help pull the technology into the marketplace instead of having it pushed upon them.   Additionally, widespread marketing campaigns will need to be developed to highlight the benefits of PAN technology to facilitate its adoption.   Finally, this technology will not likely be very useful until a large number of people and devices have adopted it which means a significant time investment.