Imagine being able to transmit information, images and codes by simply touching an object. The ability to transfer data through touch represents ultimate convenience and secure connectivity. That’s exactly what Ericsson is trying to prove through its Connected Me concept. Ericsson has already introduced the Connected Me concept at the CES in January this year. At CTIA Wireless show this week, the company showed it again but was largely unnoticed. But why? CNET said that part of the problem could be that people weren’t able to fully grasp what Ericsson’s technology is all about. Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg demonstrated the concept at the company’s Consumer Electronics Show keynote in January by holding a smartphone in one hand and a sensor for an audio system on the other.
Data signal was sent through Vestberg’s body, playing an MP3 from the phone on the speaker system. In effect and to a certain degree, he sort of became a replacement for a USB cord or Bluetooth connection. Ericsson said that its Connected Me concept uses a technique called “capacitive coupling” in which the natural electrical properties of the human body are used to transmit signals with digital information. “In practice this means, for example, that a smartphone can pass data through the human body to devices such as electronic lock, printers, speakers and screens,” Ericsson said. Chief Marketing Officer Arun Bhikshesvaran, on the other hand, believes that its concept could go commercial as soon as next year, with potential equipment makers considering the technology in their devices.