Hacking the traffic lights

[anhinga_anhinga]

"The device, called an Opticon, is similar to what firefighters use to change lights when they respond to emergencies. It emits an infrared pulse that receivers on the traffic lights pick up."

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/18/traffic.changer.ap/index.html

"LONGMONT, Colorado (AP) -- A man who said he bought a device that allowed him to change stop lights from red to green received a $50 ticket for suspicion of interfering with a traffic signal.

Jason Niccum of Longmont, Colorado, said the device, which he bought on eBay for $100, helped him cut his time driving to work."

"Niccum was issued a citation March 29 after police said they found him using a strobe-like device to change traffic signals. Police confiscated the device."

"Niccum was cited after city traffic engineers who noticed repeated traffic light disruptions at certain intersections spotted a white Ford pickup passing by whenever the patterns were disrupted.

City traffic engineer Joe Olson said engineers plan to update the city's Opticon system this year to block unauthorized light-changing signals."

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_rowan_tree_/]

Hmmm... A simple handshake protocol? I listned to the talk of Frank Pfenning yesterday (over video-conferencing), at CMU they use smart phone to open doors, buy stuff from vending machines, etc. He was presenting the logical verification system for that - to make sure that people don't access stuff they aren't supposed to.