[Chris Tredger] Automated Identification Technologies (AIT) went live yesterday on the TV programme Net Insider to introduce the Link-it Orbiter system. The company claims the technology is set to radically change PC and Internet security.
AIT`s Link-it Orbiter system works with a transmitter, a receiver and the associated software. As demonstrated during the programme, the system is based on radio frequency identification technology.
The receiver is attached to the computer`s serial port and when the transmitter or access control card is a certain distance away, signals to the receiver to stop and this shuts down the PC, rendering it tamper-proof.
According to the developers, no action, other than re-introducing the transmitter, will reactivate the mechanism.
An important feature of the Link-it Orbiter is the method of data encryption, which randomly changes all the time. According to Terry Ashwin from the AIT Research and Development division, the simplicity of the technology makes it special. It works from between 5 and 20 meters, depending on the application one is using.
Emphasising the security of the new technology, Ashwin explained that the tag, which adds the signal, ages itself and cannot be reproduced. The system also allows for the configuration of other users, with unique passwords limited to use for a maximum of five times.
AIT chairman Michael Victor said the breakthrough has been met with much enthusiasm and interest by major IT companies around the world.
"There is a vast emerging need for the automatic electronic identification of people and assets, and the integration of the obtained data in a meaningful resource control information system. The Link-it Orbiter technology is a concept that is the start of a new era in identification. The application possibilities are endless," said Victor.
There are also spin-off possibilities for other markets including government and electronic vehicle identification.
The technology is in its final stages of industrialisation and according to AIT, will be on shelves during the 1st week of December for about R399.
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