Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have developed a software algorithm that automatically creates a physical key based solely on a picture of one, regardless of angle or distance.
The project, called Sneakey, was meant to warn people about the dangers of haphazardly placing keys in the open or posting images of them online.
For a more dramatic demonstration, the researchers set up a camera with a zoom lens 200 feet away. Using those photos, they created a working key 80 percent on their first try. Within three attempts they opened every lock.
Three attempts could take less than five minutes. The replication process is very easy. Once the researchers have the image it takes the software roughly 30 seconds to decode the ridges and grooves on the key. If the angle is off or the lighting is tricky, the will computer take a little longer. The longest part of the process, about one whole minute, is cutting the key.
Source: MSNBC, 19 November 2008
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Chapter: Home & Living ::
8 January 2009
