LONDON — A small but fast growing British technology company, Peratech, (Richmond, Yorkshire, England) has developed switches made from an ultra-thin pressure sensitive material that it claims can overcome the problems and dangers of "contactless skimming" in security cards.
It is also said to have application in a host of other sectors, for instance in mobile phone and PC keyboards as well as improving automotive safety.
Based on its patented Quantum Tunnelling Composites (QTCs) material, Peratech maintains that by embedding these tiny switches into, for example, RFID chips used in contactless cards and passports, it is possible to ensure that they can only be read in a secure manner by the user pressing on the switch.
"People — neither consumers, credit card issuers nor government agencies — just do not realize the huge security dangers and implications involved," notes Philip Taysom, CEO of Peratech.
He refers to the spate of security alerts that have been reported recently in which experts and hackers have proven how easily security cards can be cloned and decrypted.
The problem is that such RFID tags emit signals " and thus sensitive data " constantly, and can thus be read surreptitiously by a compatible reader carried by anyone passing close enough to pick up the signals.
"When will people take notice? Will it take a major security incident or an epidemic of ID theft before people wake up to the problem," queries Taysom.
He notes that small, portable readers are easily available for purchase by anyone and the security codes that protect the information have already been hacked in some cases " details have been published on several websites for some time.
Peratech has been working on the QTC composite and the polymer based variable resistor switch for some time, and has now made switches 30 micrometers thick, "more than thin enough to be laminated inside the current generation of RFIDs used in access or security cards and passports," says Taysom.
He says the polymer material — which when loaded in the correct way can change its electrical behaviour from being a resistor to a conductor when pressure is applied — is already used in a variety of applications, though he is reticent to elaborate due to non-disclosure agreements and security considerations when it comes to defence related applications.
One intriguing application is for mobile phone and computer keyboards, where it could make the device tamper proof, as well as offer an element of water resistance.
Taysom notes QTC technology " developed by the company's founder and co-CEO, David Lussey -- has no moving parts and requires no air gap between contacts and is robust enough to survive many years of switching on and off. This makes it extremely reliable and suitable for integration into the thinnest electronic designs and with industry leading operational life.
He adds the material is very easy to manufacture " it is currently made in a facility at the company's Yorkshire headquarters, but Peratec already has a larger plant lined up in Singapore for when volume production is needed " and has potential uses in the consumer electronics, automotive, defence and communications sectors.
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