ALPS's "Electric-Field Communication" Turns You into a Human Cable: CEATEC JAPAN 2009

Using the electric field on the surface of human body, ALPS's "Electric-field Communication" system will allow your body to act as a cable to transfer data from one device to another. This revolutionary technology was demonstrated at CEATEC JAPAN 2009.

Read on for details and pics.
(Japanese)ALPS Press Release - Our Exhibit at "CEATEC JAPAN 2009"

ALPS's booth at CEATEC JAPAN 2009.

"Electric-field Communication" was the main feature of the booth.

You can network various devices like cellphone, camera, watch, tonometer and pedometer just by touching them.

Several working demo were on display.

First you choose one of the three images on the cellphone.

We opted for the cat.

Then, touch the panel while holding the phone in your other hand. The data will be transferred through your body (actually it's through the body surface electric field). The panel is connected to a display which will show the picture you chose. You won't feel static nor heat or anything, nevertheless an amazing experience.

The "Electric-field Communication" module.

Really small. It can be powered by button battery.

In future, it can be used for advertisement where people can touch posters or signboards and get information on their cellphone.

You can exchange email address by shaking hands.

According to the booth person, small data transmissions like exchanging numbers and address is already practicable. Basically, what can be communicated by infrared between cellphones you can communicate by shaking hands. When we asked about Internet access, we were told that high-capacity data transmission can be done using multiple people in theory, but they have to be holding hands all the while so it sounds a bit too impractical.

Data can be transmitted by anyone regardless of age and sex, staticky or not.