From NBC News Online
Passwords? What about passthoughts? New login relies on brain signals
By Nidhi Subbaraman
Just mental humming of your favorite tune, a mental reconstruction of your favorite yoga move, or focusing on your favorite color could soon unlock your computer.
Say you were wearing that computer — as you might if you owned Google Glass. A "passthought" reader that decoded your EEGs would be way more convenient than typing in a password on a real or virtual keyboard.
"You can see all these pictures of Sergey Brin wearing this Google Glass," John Chuang, a professor at the School of Information at UC Berkeley, told NBC News. "What if he puts down his Google Glass, and someone else picks it up? Does that mean that someone else can access his photos, start messaging his friends?"
Chuang and a group of researchers at the School of Information ran a series of experiments in which they tested how user-friendly an EEG authenticator would be....
From ABC News
Passthoughts? Brainwave-Based Passwords a Reality
By Joanna Stern
Sure, you already store your passwords in your brain and then punch them into your computer, but a group of computer scientists are thinking about cutting out that second step. A team at UC Berkeley’s School of Information has been able to use brain waves to authenticate people.
Led by Professor John Chuang, the team at Berkeley used Neurosky’s Mindset Brainwave sensor, a $200 headset with electrodes that can measure electroencephalograms (EEGs) or brainwave activity. (Neurosky is the same company that makes those brain-powered cat ears.) With the headset on and connected to a computer, the participants were asked to perform a range of mental tasks, including singing a song and counting objects of different colors....
From MSN News
'Pass-thoughts' may be security of the future
By Michelle McGuinness
Researchers designed a wireless headset that can read brainwaves to authenticate users, potentially replacing traditional passwords.
Have trouble remembering passwords? Don't worry. Soon, your devices may read your mind to find your passwords.
Researches at University of California Berkeley School of Information say they were able to replace passwords with “pass-thoughts,” according to a study reported on the university’s website....
Thoughts could be future of security
By Jennie Yoon
In a few years’ time, people may be able to unlock their personal devices without even lifting a finger, thanks to researchers at the UC Berkeley School of Information. Instead of symbols and characters, thoughts may be the new key.
In a study entitled “I Think, Therefore I Am,” which was announced earlier this month, professor John Chuang of the School of Information, along with three UC Berkeley students, found that brain waves can be used to differentiate individuals and therefore establish a means of security authentication in the form of a “passthought” rather than a traditional password....
No passwords: logging in with your mind
By Joel Waldman
The future is here now: NeuroSky is reading your thoughts. The California-based company invented the MindSet. It might just change your grumpy mindset the next time you're trying to remember which login password is for what.
Passwords will become "pass thoughts" in the next two to three years, say Cal-Berkeley researchers working with NeuroSky.
The brain has a unique signature, just like your fingerprints. Soon you'll be able to just think your way on to your computer....