eGo pairing

The intrabody communication allows the transfer of data between two devices in using your body as a wire to connect both devices.

The eGo pairing uses the easy paring principle as follow:

• The Body-Coupling Communication is used as the wireless vicinity communication and allows the selection of the device in using an intuitive natural connector: your hand or any part of your body. Here there is an explicit will of the user in using a natural gesture.
• The UWB (i.e. Ultra Wide Band) like technology defines in the IEEE 802.15.4a standard*. This alternate PHY and MAC layers exposes higher data rates up to 27 Mbit/s,Real Time Location Systems (RTLS) and Ultra Low Power Wireless Transceivers in areas as diverse as manufacturing, healthcare, lighting, security, transport, inventory & supply chain management.

The eGo pairing involve two devices:

• eGo which is the device hold by the user. This device may have any form factor (e.g. watch, belt, wrist,..) and shall be close to the user's body (less than 10 mm).
• the eGo compliant device to which eGo shall be connected. The eGo compliant device may be any device (e;g. a mobile phone, a door handle, a computer mouse,...) implementing the eGo technology and providing a service to eGo.

The user in touching the eGo compliant device establishes a one-way channel of communication using the user's body as a communication medium between eGo compliant device to the eGo device. A logical channel of communication is now available to transfer the essential data for a fast pairing of the UWB bearer.

The eGo pairing completed, a reliable and high speed channel of communication is available between eGo and the eGo compliant device using the UWB bearer.

The transaction time is not limited by the operational range of the BCC bearer (few mm) and the user is not obliged to keep a close contact with the eGo compliant device.

The IEEE 802.15.4a allows evaluating the distance* between the eGo device and the eGo compliant device then the application can define the maximal distance (about 10 cm accuracy) for operations. The control of the distance for operations may prevent relay attacks which are possible in using only the BCC technology for the transfer of application data.

*IEEE 802.15.4a is the alternate PHY for the 802.15.4 standard. It adds location awareness, low power and higher data rates to the standard which is the PHY and MAC specification for Zigbee devices.