Microsoft has just been awarded patent number 6754472 which covers a way to transmit both power and data through the human body. The approach would support the networking of various peripheral devices such as batteries, PDAs, keyboards & displays, via electrodes attached to the skin. No word yet on the body’s bandwidth performance. I wonder what would happen if you were to shake hands with another ‘networked’ person.
Presumably, connectivity would require the use of some sort of conductive electrode gel similar to that used for ECGs and EMGs…sounds somewhat inconvenient. A larger concern, however, would be the effect of these electric currents on the body. Aside from heat buildup due to internal resistance in the body, the applied current has a potential to disrupt the tiny electrical signals used by nerve cells found in the brain, heart and muscles.
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