Who uses keys these days, really? Introducing the world’s first(?) biometric secured golf cart. Gives “push to start” a whole new meaning!
[Ramicaza] lives in a small community where many families (including his!) use golf carts to commute short distances, like to the grocery store, or school. Tired of sharing a key between his parents and siblings, [Ramicaza] decided to soup up his ride with a fingerprint sensor allowing for key less start.
He’s using an ATtiny85 and a GT511-C1 finger print sensor from SparkFun. After throwing together a circuit on a breadboard and testing the concept he went straight to a PCB prototype for install in the cart. What we really like is the case he integrated into the golf cart’s dash. It features a flip-up lid which turns the circuit on when it is opened, and off when it is closed to save battery. Scan your finger and a relay triggers the ignition allowing you to drive away.
In case your interested in making your own fingerprint controlled something, [Ramicaza] has also shared his source code over on GitHub.
Oh and don’t worry — the original keys still work too. Next up, a fingerprint secured garage door?
This is a cool hack, with one caveat:
As has been hashed over again and again and again, biometrics are excellent for identification, and piss-poor for authentication.
We’ve got 10-2-1 on several *TENS OF MILLIONS* of people, but we don’t use those biometrics for authentication – because they’re so easy to fake.
Even iris scans! I have seen, personally, in my own experience, individuals trying to falsify iris scans with custom hand-painted contact lenses. The only way these individuals’ efforts were detected was through the careful observation of the person operating the BAT or HIIDE.
Well the alternative in this case is using a key, which I gather can be copied just about as easily as a fingerprint.
But one generally does not leave a key in a lock, the way one does with a fingerprint reader.
I don’t know about you but I don’t live an imprint of my key on every object I touch.
it’s a golf cart – two guys and a pickup truck and it is gone, key, fingerprint, rectal scan not required. A bit of social engineering (kicking the tire and swearing at it for not working) and you could probably do it in a crowded parking lot and you could probably even get complete strangers to help you load it.
“so as you see ladies and gentlemen of the jury, victim was ran over 30 times with this golf cart, and the ONLY person authorized and able to operate it is the accused, OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!1”
@James S. (@StripeyType)
1. You’re acting like there’s only one kind of iris scanner.
2. You’re doing that nerd thing where you look at security threats in a vacuum to provide the best opportunity for technical masturbation, rather than looking at the threat in context. The point isn’t to secure it against a determined attacker, not just because the cart can be carried off, but also because it’s really not that valuable. It’s a golf cart. The biometrics are just to make it harder for a random passing asshole to screw with.
1. There are only a very small number approved for DoD use. All of them are similarly susceptible.
2. Yup.
Nice, would like this in my car, never loose my keys again (or if I did I’ed have way bigger problems!)
Allow me to guide you over here:
http://hackaday.com/2013/09/05/custom-car-keypad-entry/
I like the idea of being ith 4 People on a Lake. “If anyone needs something off my car, the code is XXXX”. Go swimming without keys. Lock the Keypad for 60minutes in case of 3 false inputs (or input 8 digit masterkey).
Multi-factor auth :)
ID by finger print, auth by pin or something else only the user knows. heck you could even use one time pad exchanged via sms or something.
Press the finger print reader, OTP pin created, SMS’ed to the registered users phone, input and go.
I’m guessing in this persons case, security isn’t really a concern.
Nice job! If I lived in a community where Golf Carts were a main mode of transportation I would prefer going with an electric cart and using that roof area for PV. Better than chitty-chitty-bang-bang.
So, it uses your thumbprint to start does it? Stay right there, I need to run and get a pair of garden clippers…
[Image]http://i.imgur.com/wjANVCD.jpg[/image]
Er. http://i.imgur.com/wjANVCD.jpg
Then a geek’s thumb replaces a lucky rabbit’s foot on keychains. Hey, this one actually does something!
A long time ago an electronics magazine had the world’s simplest car anti-theft device to build.
It was a panel on the dash with about 8 SPST toggle switches in a row. These were wired all in series, but with some wired upside down. The idea is the driver flicks the pattern in, thus completing the ignition wire circuit. When you get out, the switches are all flicked to the up position.
Simple!
Oops, SPDT not SPST.
8 digit binary password, not bad.The problem is that there are only 255 options. Hold the key in start and start counting until you hit it.
Realistically though anyone who’d steal a car wouldn’t put in that much effort.
Or you could have it blow a fuse when the wrong code is used to try to start.
Generally speaking car thieves want to get in, grab the car, and get away as quickly as possible. I suspect that if the car won’t start and they can’t figure out why in a few seconds by checking the fix or six most common tricks, they’ll just leave and find a new mark. Or saw off your cat and call it a day.
Now, if you have a conspicuous panel of switches in the middle of the dash they may pop the cover off with a screwdriver, see the wiring, guess what it does, rip the end wires off, and short the whole thing. Obvious answer is to place the box out of view so you have to hit the buttons by touch.
Comedy option: disguise the toggles as, like, additional rows of radio station buttons.
Comedy bonus: come up with some kind of intrusion detection where if you screw with the panel or input the wrong code too many times the sound system becomes unable to play anything but muzak covers of Queen songs.
Nice post! If I had to make a choice, I would definitely choose the biometric cart over the traditional cart, although it is not completely the most foolproof security.