It has come to this- your ears can now be used to unlock your smartphone. With Amazon getting the patent for ear-scanning technology in the near future. Someday soo, shops that sell cell-phone accessories and units will finally market cool gadgets with this new tech.
Yes, fingerprint scans have landed and may be a bit old school now. And so , is it time for the ears to take the spotlight? Will this be safe? Amazon details that this new technology could detect a person’s ear and use it like a fingerprint to authenticate access. The technology would compare the ear being detected to a snapshot of the said body part taken with the smartphone’s front camera. Ears like fingerprints, are unique for every individual. People also don’t necessarily need to feel uneasy about safety.
What’s Coming?
Amazon reports that the ear recognition patent was filed by its principal engineer, Leo Baldwin, at Lab126 way back in 2011. The patent was only approved last week. Baldwin is Amazon’s principal engineer who gave the world Kindle, the Fire TV device, and the Fire Phone.
It is still not confirmed if this new patent would be applied in the next Fire phone. Without any definite world from Amazon., it is still difficult to stay if there will be an actual phone or gadget that will scan your ear’s shape to produce a better and cooler smartphone function. Amazon may still be working on it and are looking for more ways to make their new technology more useful and more beneficial.
What Gives?
Aside from its primary use for authentication and access, the ear-scanning technology may also possibly be able to adjust the volume of the speakers depending on the proximity of the phone from the user’s car.
With smartphones now being unlocked through fingerprint scanning. Keying in codes, or drawing line patterns, will this new technology patented by Amazon be in the line-up?
Although some tech experts believe that this could be an inefficient way to unlock a smartphone. Amazon could definitely find other ways that the tech could benefit its potential users.
Ear-scanning could probably see more benefits if used mainly for authenticity. It can be used provide access to the owner in opening a financial app for example, or any other function that would reveal sensitive information. It could be as effective as a fingerprint scan , especially when you think about how vulnerable numeric codes and line patterns truly are when it comes to authentication.
This newly-approved patent could change the smartphone industry forever. As you probably know, patents are in place to protect the gadget’s inventors. Technologies that get patented are exclusively licensed to the developer who filed for the patent. This protects the inventor and prevents its unauthorized selling or use by others. Selling electronics with the latest technology sets each’s vendor and developer apart from its competition, and there have been quite a few patent concerns in the past especially when it comes to the smartphone industry. This means that Amazon would probably need to watch out for possible problems with this in the future.
Cesar is a Product Manager at Gadget Salvation, a leader in the refurbished electronics industry. An avid technology enthusiast, he’s always on top of the latest tech trends and applies that knowledge to drive product innovation.
