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| Source: imec. Secure proximity technology. |
The technology sets a new benchmark in location accuracy using a standard Bluetooth radio, and paves the way to increased data security in smart environments such as buildings, cars and cities, imec said.
Traditionally, locating solutions use signal strength to gauge distance, limiting their accuracy to 3-5 m. Such accuracy levels can support relaxed use cases, such as proximity marketing in retail or the rough positioning of objects. Accurate locating and high security could only be achieved by using high-end solutions based on expensive ultra-wideband (UWB) radios. These are used in applications such as high precision track-and-trace and industrial applications.
Traditionally, locating solutions use signal strength to gauge distance, limiting their accuracy to 3-5 m. Such accuracy levels can support relaxed use cases, such as proximity marketing in retail or the rough positioning of objects. Accurate locating and high security could only be achieved by using high-end solutions based on expensive ultra-wideband (UWB) radios. These are used in applications such as high precision track-and-trace and industrial applications.
With imec’s solution, accurate locating and high security are supported using standard Bluetooth. The superior performance of imec’s accurate ranging is demonstrated on commercial chips, both for Bluetooth and IEEE 802.15.4, showing the versatility of the solution on narrowband radios of various standards and manufacturers.
The imec solution needs less than 32 KB of ROM and 64 KB of RAM on an ARM Cortex M4F device with less than 50msec per measurement when running at 120 MHz. The imec phase-based solution is extremely robust for multipath reflections, which are typically a challenge for received signal strength indication (RSSI)-based solutions operating in indoor environments.
“By leveraging the pervasiveness of Bluetooth in smartphones and other mobile devices, imec’s technology delivers affordable yet very accurate and reliable localisation for numerous new Internet of Things (IoT) applications,” stated Kathleen Philips, IoT director at imec. “Together with our industrial partners, we are working on bringing this technology into a next version of the Bluetooth standard.”
Combining the best of all worlds with imec’s secure proximity technology; high volume and cost-efficient radio technology, and a high level of accuracy and data security, the new solution enables the use of standard Bluetooth transceivers to measure the distance between two devices. It is furthermore protected against spoofing as it creates a secure channel between two authenticated devices, developed together with the COSIC security solutions team of KU Leuven.
"Location spoofing is an underestimated problem, that has moved from an academic research topic to a realistic threat in the field,” said Bart Preneel, head of the imec-COSIC research group at the KU Leuven. "Fortunately, our early research in this area is paying off: in collaboration with imec it has resulted in practical solutions."
Imec’s secure proximity technology is ideal for secure building access and car entry. It also enables new location-based data access services where accuracy and security are paramount in view of privacy, such as in hospitals where a patient’s record is pulled up automatically as the doctor approaches the patient’s bed. This new technology from imec is now available for commercial applications, for licensing and further development towards specific application requirements of imec partners.
“By leveraging the pervasiveness of Bluetooth in smartphones and other mobile devices, imec’s technology delivers affordable yet very accurate and reliable localisation for numerous new Internet of Things (IoT) applications,” stated Kathleen Philips, IoT director at imec. “Together with our industrial partners, we are working on bringing this technology into a next version of the Bluetooth standard.”
Combining the best of all worlds with imec’s secure proximity technology; high volume and cost-efficient radio technology, and a high level of accuracy and data security, the new solution enables the use of standard Bluetooth transceivers to measure the distance between two devices. It is furthermore protected against spoofing as it creates a secure channel between two authenticated devices, developed together with the COSIC security solutions team of KU Leuven.
"Location spoofing is an underestimated problem, that has moved from an academic research topic to a realistic threat in the field,” said Bart Preneel, head of the imec-COSIC research group at the KU Leuven. "Fortunately, our early research in this area is paying off: in collaboration with imec it has resulted in practical solutions."
Imec’s secure proximity technology is ideal for secure building access and car entry. It also enables new location-based data access services where accuracy and security are paramount in view of privacy, such as in hospitals where a patient’s record is pulled up automatically as the doctor approaches the patient’s bed. This new technology from imec is now available for commercial applications, for licensing and further development towards specific application requirements of imec partners.
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