REDTACTON - DSpace at CUSAT

REDTACTON 

A SEMINAR REPORT 

Submitted by 

MOHAMMED FASIL P 

in partial fulfillment for the award of the degree 

of 

BTECH DEGREE 

in 

COMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING 

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING 

COCHIN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & 

TECHNOLOGY KOCHI - 682022 

SEPTEMBER 2010

Division of Computer Engineering 

School of Engineering 

Cochin University of Science & Technology 

Kochi-682022 

_________________________________________________________ 

CERTIFICATE 

Certified that this is a bonafied record of the seminar work titled 



Done by 

Mohammed Mohammed Fasil Fasil P 

P 

of VI semester Computer Science & Engineering in the year 2010 in partial 

fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Degree of Bachelor of Technology 

in Computer Science & Engineering of Cochin University of Science & Technology 

Dr.David Dr.David Peter Peter S 

S 

Mrs. Anupama 

Head of the Division Seminar Guide

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 

I thank GOD almighty for guiding me throughout the seminar. I would 

like to thank all those who have contributed to the completion of the 

seminar and helped me with valuable suggestions for improvement. I am 

extremely grateful to Dr. David Peter, HOD, Division of Computer 

Science, for providing me with best facilities and atmosphere for the 

creative work guidance and encouragement. I would like to thank my 

coordinator, Mr. Sudeep Elayidom, Sr. Lecturer, Division of Computer 

Science, and my guide Mrs. Anupama , Lecturer , Division of 

Computer Science , SOE for all help and support extend to me. I thank 

all Staff members of my college and friends for extending their 

cooperation during my seminar. Above all I would like to thank my 

parents without whose blessings; I would not have been able to 

accomplish my goal. 

MOHAMMED FASIL P

ABSTRACT 

RedTacton is a new innovative Human Area Networking 

technology that turns the surface of the human body as a safe, high 

speed network transmission path. 

RedTacton takes a different technical approach. Instead of relying 

on electromagnetic waves or light waves to carry data, RedTacton 

uses weak electric fields on the surface of the body as a 

transmission medium. 

Using RedTacton, communication starts when terminals carried by 

the user or embedded in devices are linked in various combinations 

according to the user's natural, physical movements. 

Communication is possible using any body surfaces, such as the 

hands, fingers, arms, feet, face, legs or toes. RedTacton works 

through shoes and clothing as well. 

A transmission path is formed at the moment a part of the human 

body comes in contact with a RedTacton transceiver, physically 

separating ends the contact and thus ends communication. 

A RedTacton transmitter couples with extremely weak electric 

fields on the surface of the body. The weak electric fields pass 

through the body to a RedTacton receiver, where the weak electric 

fields affect the optical properties of an electro-optic crystal. The 

extent to which the optical properties are changed is detected by 

laser light which is then converted to an electrical signal by a 

detector circuit. 

NTT developed super sensitive Photonic electric field sensor for 

detecting minute electric field emitted on the surface of the human 

body.

RedTacton - Human Area Network Technology 

1. Introduction 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1.1 What Is RedTacton? 1 

1.2 History of HAN 1 

1.3 Overview of RedTacton 2 

2. Narration 

2.1 How RedTacton works? 6 

2.2 Mechanism of communication with RedTacton 7 

2.3 RedTacton TRANSCEIVER 9 

2.4 FUNCTIONAL FEATURES 10 

2.5 System Safety 11 

2.6 Features of RedTacton 12 

2.7 Comparison with other Human communication methods 16 

3. Applications 

3.1 Six major application field 17 

3.2 Comparison With Other Networks 19 

3.3 Comparison with other network technologies 20 

3.4 Advantage Over BLUETOOTH 20 

3.5 PROTOTYPE Devices 23 

3.6 Plans for Commercialization 24 

4. Conclusion 25 

References 26 

DIVISION OF COMPUTER SCIENCE ENGINEERING, SOE, CUSAT 1


CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 

1.1 WHAT IS REDTACTON? 

Human society is entering an era of omnipresent computing, when networks 

are seamlessly interconnected and information is always accessible at our fingertips. 

connectivity: 

The practical implementation of omnipresent services requires three levels of 

• Wide Area Networks (WAN), typically via the Internet, to remotely connect 

all types of severs and terminals; 

• Local Area Networks (LAN), typically via Ethernet or WiFi connectivity 

among all the information and communication appliances in offices and 

homes; and 

• Human Area Networks (HAN) for connectivity to personal information, media 

and communication appliances within the much smaller sphere of ordinary 

daily activities-- the last one meter. 

NTT's RedTacton is a break-through technology that, for the first time, enables 

reliable high-speed HAN. 

Human Area Networking (HAN) is a technology that safely turns the surface of the 

human body into a data transmission path at speeds up to 10 Mbps between any two 

points on the body. 

1.2 HISTORY OF HAN 

In the past, Bluetooth, infrared communications (IrDA), radio frequency ID 

systems (RFID), and other technologies have been proposed to solve the "last 

meter" connectivity problem. However, they each have various fundamental 

technical limitations that constrain their usage, such as the precipitous fall-off in 

transmission speed in multi-user environments producing network congestion. 

• The concept of intra-body communication was first proposed by IBM in 1996. 

• This communication mechanism was later evaluated and reported by several 

research groups around the world. 



All those reported technologies had two limitations. 

1. The operating range through the body was limited to a few tens 

of centimeters. 

2. The top communication speed was only 40 bit/s!! 

These limitations were overcome by NTT (Nippon Telegraph and 

Telephone Corporation) located in Tokyo, Japan by using photonic electric field 

sensors and finally came up with a human area networking technology called 

‘RedTacton’ 

1.3 OVERVIEW OF REDTACTON 

• RedTacton is a new innovative Human Area Networking technology that 

turns the surface of the human body as a safe, high speed network 

transmission path. 

• RedTacton takes a different technical approach. Instead of relying on 

electromagnetic waves or light waves to carry data, RedTacton uses weak 

electric fields on the surface of the body as a transmission medium. 

• Using RedTacton, communication starts when terminals carried by the 

user or embedded in devices are linked in various combinations according 

to the user's natural, physical movements. 

• Communication is possible using any body surfaces, such as the hands, 

fingers, arms, feet, face, legs or toes. RedTacton works through shoes and 

clothing as well. 

• Technically, it is completely distinct from wireless and infrared. A 

transmission path is formed at the moment a part of the human body 

comes in contact with a RedTacton transceiver, physically separating ends 

the contact and thus ends communication. 

• A RedTacton transmitter couples with extremely weak electric fields on 

the surface of the body. The weak electric fields pass through the body to a 

RedTacton receiver, where the weak electric fields affect the optical 

properties of an electro-optic crystal. The extent to which the optical 

properties are changed is detected by laser light which is then converted to 

an electrical signal by a detector circuit. 



• NTT developed super sensitive Photonic electric field sensor for detecting 

minute electric field emitted on the surface of the human body. 

The electro-optic sensor has three key features: 

It can measure electric fields from a device under test (DUT) without 

contacting it, which minimizes measurement disturbance. 

Ultra wide-band measurement is possible. 

It supports one-point contact measurement that is independent of the 

ground, 

Which is the most significant feature in the present context. 

NTT utilized this third feature to fabricate an intrabody communication 

receiver 

For its human area networking technology, which is called RedTacton. 

Meaning Of RedTacton? 

TACTON: - “touch-act-on” Meaning “action triggered by touching”. 

RED: - It is an auspicious color according to Japanese culture 



RedTacton transceiver 

Figure: 1.1 

Figure 1.1 shows a photograph of the RedTacton transceiver connected to a PDA and a 

block diagram of the RedTacton transceiver developed by NTT. 

• The transmitter consists of a transmitter circuit that induces electric fields 

toward the body and a data sense circuit, which distinguishes transmitting and 

receiving modes by detecting both transmission and reception data and outputs 

control signals corresponding to the two modes to enable two-way 

communication. 

• Implementation of receive-first half-duplex communication scheme that sends 

only after checking to make sure that there is no data to receive in order to 

avoid packet collisions 

• RedTacton takes advantage of the long-overlooked electric field that 

surrounds the human body. 



CHAPTER 2 NARRATION 

2.1 HOW REDTACTON WORKS? 

Figure 2.1 shows the working of the RED TACTON device over the surface of our 

body 

1. The RedTacton transmitter induces a weak electric field on the surface of the 

body. 

2. The RedTacton receiver senses changes in the weak electric field on the 

surface of the body caused by the transmitter. 

3. RedTacton relies upon the principle that the optical properties of an electro- 

optic 

crystal can vary according to the changes of a weak electric field. 

4. RedTacton detects changes in the optical properties of an electro-optic crystal 

using a laser and converts the result to an electrical signal in a optical receiver 

circuit 

Multiple transceivers can be used simultaneously. This is because RedTacton uses 

a proprietary CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection) 

protocol that allows multiple access with the same medium from multiple nodes. 



2.2 MECHANISM OF COMMUNICATION WITH REDTACTON 

Data is received using a photonic electric field sensor that combines an 

electro- optic crystal and a laser light to detect fluctuations in the minute electric field. 

The naturally occurring electric field induced on the surface of the human body 

dissipates into the earth. Therefore, this electric field is exceptionally faint and 

unstable. 

The photonic electric field sensor developed by NTT enables weak electric 

fields to be measured by detecting changes in the optical properties of an electro-optic 

crystal with a laser beam. 

Figure: 2.2 Figure shows the various electric fields on the surface of our body induced by the 

RedTacton device. Only a portion of the induced electric field is sensed by the receiving 

RedTacton device. The remaining electric fields are dissipated to the ground. 



The naturally occurring electric field induced on the surface of the human 

body dissipates into the earth. Therefore, this electric field is exceptionally faint and 

unstable. The photonic electric field sensor developed by NTT enables weak electric 

fields to be measured by detecting changes in the optical properties of an electro-optic 

crystal with a laser beam. 

Fig.2.3.Figure illustrating the transfer of data 



2.3 RED TACTON TRANSCEIVER 

Figure below shows the block diagram of a RED TACTON transceiver. The 

signal from the interface is sent to the data sense circuit and the transmitter circuit. 

The data sense circuit senses the signal and if the data is present it sends control signal 

to the transmitter which activates the transmitter circuit. The transmitter circuit varies 

the electric field on the surface of our body. This change in the electric field is 

detected by the electro-optic sensor. The output of the electro-optic sensor is given to 

the detector circuit, which in turn given to the interface of the receiving RED 

TACTON device. 

Fig.2.4. Block diagram of Red TACTON transceiver 



2.4 FUNCTIONAL FEATURES 

1. A communications path can be created with a simple touch, automatically 

initiating the flow of data between a body-centric electronic device and a 

computer that is embedded in the environment. For example, two people 

equipped with RedTacton devices could exchange data just by shaking hands. 

A wide range of natural human actions grasping, sitting down, walking, or 

standing in a particular place can be used to trigger RedTacton to start a 

networked process. 

2. Using a RedTacton electro-optic sensor, two-way communication is supported 

between any two points on the body at a throughput of up to 10 Mbps. 

Communication is not just confined to the surface of the body, but can travel 

through the user's clothing to a RedTacton device in a pocket or through shoes 

to communicate with a RedTacton device embedded in the floor. Unlike 

wireless technologies, the transmission speed does not deteriorate even in the 

presence of large crowds of people all communicating at the same time in 

meeting rooms, auditoriums or stores. Because the body surface is the 

transmission path, increasing the number of connected users directly increases 

the available number of individual channels. 



3. RedTacton can utilize a wide range of materials as a transmission medium, as 

long as the material is conductive and dielectric, which includes water and 

other liquids, various metals, certain plastics, glass, etc. 

Using ordinary structures such as tables and walls that are familiar and readily 

available, one could easily construct a seamless communication environment 

at very low cost using Red Tacton. (Note that constraints are imposed by the 

length and environment of the propagating conductor, and by the thickness of 

the dielectric.) 

2.5 System Safety 

NO current flows into human body from RedTacton devices. RedTacton uses 

the Electric field that occurs naturally on the surface of the human body for 

Communication. Transmitter and receiver electrodes are covered with an Insulating 

films. RedTacton is in conformity to the "Radiofrequency-exposure Protection” 

standard (RCR STD-38)" issued by the Association of Radio Industries and 

Businesses (ARIB) 

Figure 2.6 



2.6 FEATURES OF RED EDTACTON 

RedTacton has three main functional features features. 

1. 

Touching, gripping, sitting, walking, stepping and other human movements 

can be the triggers for unlocking or locking, starting or stopping equipment, or 

obtaining data. 

DIVISION OF COMPUTER SCIENCE ENGINEERING, SOE, CUSAT 

12


Fig.2.8.Figure illustrating that RedTacton device can be triggered by touching, gripping, 

sitting, walking and stepping. 

2. 

Bandwidth does not deteriorate even with duplex operations and simultaneous 

access by many users. Duplex, interactive communication is possibl possible e at a maximum 

speed of 10Mbps. Because the transmission path is on the surface of the body, 

transmission speed does not deteriorate in congested areas where many people are 

communicating at the same time. 

Maximum communication speed may be slower than 110Mbps 

0Mbps depending on the usage 

environment. 

DIVISION OF COMPUTER SCIENCE ENGINEERING, SOE, CUSAT 

13


3. 

RedTacton can utilize a wide range of materials as a transmission 

medium, as long as the material is conductive and dielectric, which includes 

water and other liquids, various metals, certain plastics, glass, etc. Conductors 

and dielectrics may also be used in combination. 

Conductor 



Dielectrics 

Both conductor and dielectric 



2.7 COMPARISON WITH OTHER HUMAN COMMUNICATION METHODS 

Figure 2.10 

RedTacton does not require the electrode to be in direct contact with the skin. 

With the electric amperage method, electrode must be in direct contact with 

the skin. 



CHAPTER 3 APPLICATIONS 

3.1 SIX MAJOR APPLICATION FIELDS USING REDTACTON ARE 

INTRODUCED: 

3.1.1 One to One services 

With the ability to send attribute data from personal information devices worn 

on the body to computers embedded in the environment, one-to-one services could be 

implemented that are tailored to the individual needs of the user. 

3.1.2 Intuitive operation of personal information 

Communication is triggered by totally natural human actions and 

behavior, so there is no need to insert smart cards, connect cables, tune frequencies, or 

any of the other inconveniences usually associated with today's electronic devices. 

3.1.3 Device personalization 

Fig.3.3. A simple handshake can transfer data. 

Setup, registration, and configuration information for an individual user 

can all be uploaded to a device the instant the device is touched, eliminating the need 

for the device to be registered or configured in advance. 



3.1.4 New behavior patterns 

Tables, walls, floors and chairs can all act as conductors and dielectrics, 

turning furniture and other architectural elements into a new class of transmission 

medium. For example, a user could have instant access to the Internet merely by 

placing a laptop onto a conductive tabletop. 

3.1.5 Marketing applications 

When a consumer stands in front of an advertising panel, advertising and 

information matching his or her attributes is automatically displayed. By touching or 

standing in front of items they are interested in, consumers can get more in-depth 

information. 

Fig.3.4. A customer touching the advertising panel and getting information 

about that advertisement through RedTacton device 

1.1.6 Security applications 

RedTacton could be installed on doors, cabinets and other locations calling for 

secure access, such that each secure access could be initiated and authenticated 

with a simple touch. At the same time, all the transaction details and relevant 

user attributes (personal identity, security clearance, etc.) could be logged by 

the security system. An Alarm sounds automatically to avoid accidental 

medicine ingestion Touch advertising and receive information. 



3.2 COMPARISON WITH OTHER NETWORKS 

The chart below shows the positioning of RedTacton with respect to existing 

communication technologies. The focus on ubiquitous service has brought about the 

shortening of distances in communication. RedTacton is positioned as the last 1m 

solution to ultimate close-range communication. Wireless communication creates 

connections when signals arrive, allowing for easy connections because connectors 

are unnecessary. However, seen from another aspect, the arriving signals can be 

intercepted, so security becomes an issue. 

Wired communication transmits data between two connection points, so 

interception is difficult and security can be considered to be high. However, 

connectors and cables are a nuisance. Taking the above points in account, RedTacton 

is situated directly between wireless and wired communication. In other words, 

RedTacton allows for easy connection without connectors, while at the same time 

allowing transmission of data only between two contact points. It thus has the feature 

of being difficult to intercept. 

Fig.3.5.Figure shows the comparison of RED TACTON device with other networks with 

respect to distance 



3.3 COMPARISON WITH OTHER NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES 

Performance: 

E: Excellent, 

P: Poor 

3.4 ADVANTAGE OVER BLUETOOTH 

The system envisioned by NTT, utilizes a conversion method which takes 

digital data into a stream of low-power digital pulses. These can be easily transmitted 

and read back through the human electric field. 

While it is true that similar personal area networks are already accessible by 

using radio-based technologies like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, this new wireless technology 

claims to be able to send data over the human skin surface at transfer speeds of up to 

10Mbps, or better than a broadband T1 connection. Receiving data in such a system is 

more complicated because the strength of the pulses sent through the electric field is 

so low. 

Evaluation criteria Wireless LAN Infrared Red 

Transfer Speed 

(Can DVD-quality images be sent?) 

Performance deterioration during periods of 

congestion (Simultaneous use by many 

people in small spaces) 

Duplex data transfer (Interactive 

processing) 

Tacton 

RedTacton solves this issue by utilizing a technique called electric field 

photonics: A laser is passed though an electro-optic crystal, which deflects light 

DIVISION OF COMPUTER SCIENCE ENGINEERING, SOE, CUSAT 20 

E 

P 

E 

P 

E 

E 

E 

E 

E


differently according to the strength of the field across it. These deflections are 

measured and converted back into electrical signals to retrieve the transmitted data. 

According to Tom Zimmerman, inventor of the IBM personal networking system, 

body-based networking is more secure than broadcast systems such as Bluetooth, 

which have a range of about 10m.The issue is that with Bluetooth, it is difficult to rein 

in the signal and restrict it to the device you are trying to connect to. But in a busy 

place there could be hundreds of Bluetooth devices within range. 

Moreover, body-based networking seems to allow for more natural 

interchanges of information between humans, as only when you are in true proximity 

you can make this system work. There are some specific applications that would 

appear as being ideal matches for RedTacton-like technologies. 



Advantages 

Disadvantages 

• Data transfer is faster and easier through this technology. 

• Data loss during transfer is less. 

• Use of minimum amount of power (of some mili volt range). 

• Security is more. 

• It can be useful within few centimeters. 

• Effects on human body is still under research. 

Scope of research 

• Communication between electronic devices on the human body 

(wearable computers) and ones embedded in our everyday environments 

can be possible 

• Wired connection can be replaced. 

• In the crowded areas such as meeting room due to many users 

throughput can be reduced by packet collision in case of Bluetooth 

and wireless LAN using RED TACTON this problem can be 

solved. 



• 3.5 PROTOTYPE DEVICES 

Fig.3.6. Security devices whose development has been completed 



Fig.3.7.Transmission devices whose development is in progress 

3.6 PLANS FOR COMMERCIALIZATION 

• It seems like there was a press release event where they demoed the 

technology. The first demo was a PDA medication assistant that shows 

instructions relevant to touched medicine bottles. The second was a museum 

guide PDA whose contents was fed from a floor-embedded transmitter 

through a user’s feet. 

• NTT plans to develop transceivers with an emphasis on portability that are 

more compact and less power consumption. Through field testing, NTT will 

continue to investigate and improve the robustness of Human Area 

Networking and human body surface communication applications. 



CHAPTER 4 CONCLUSION 

RedTacton is an exciting new technology for human area networking. We 

have developed a transceiver that uses the human body as a data transmission 

medium based on an electric-field sensor that uses an electro-optic crystal and laser 

light. Using this transceiver, we succeeded in achieving 10BASE communication in 

accordance with IEEE 802.3 through a human body from one hand to the other hand. 

While our immediate objective is to implement a RedTacton system supporting two- 

way intrabody communication at a rate of 10 Mbit/s between any two points on the 

body, our longer-term plans include developing a mass-market transceiver interface 

supporting PDAs and notebook computers while continuing efforts to reduce the size 

and power consumption of the transceiver to enhance its portability. 

NTT is committed to using its comprehensive commercialization functions to 

push this research out to the marketplace as quickly as possible while moving ahead 

With tests and trials in collaboration with commercial partners as necessary. 

The need for artificial body implants to communicate with each other as well 

as to report back to a portable device could have quite some value. In fact, according 

to other researchers, the most important application for body-based networking may 

well be for these type of communications within, rather than on the surface of, or 

outside, the body. 

RedTacton technology is expected to dominate Bluetooth technology in the 

future. RedTacton technology could put the use of cables to an end. The problem 

faced by the RedTacton technology is the cost of development. This technology 

brings a new dimension of communication which effectively links the user to anyone 

he wants to communicate. Since it provides high speed communication, it can provide 

seamless service wherever, whenever and whoever uses it. 



REFERENCES: 

• www.redtacton.com 

• www.masternewmedia.org 

• www.en.wikipedia.org 

• http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/print/2596 

• http://gizmodo.com 

• http://www.authorstream.com 

• http://sniptools.com 

• http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Redtacton/166398 

• http://www.scribd.com

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