The National Science Foundation awarded engineering professor Kai Zeng a nearly $500,000 grant to bring some security to the Internet of Things, which is estimated to connect some 50 million devices. These mobile devices depend on “near field communication,” which makes handy tools possible such as contactless payment, identification, authentication, file exchange, and eHealthcare. However, security is a major concern because adversaries could intercept private information for their own nefarious purposes. Zeng and his team aim to make the devices energy-efficient, fast and, most important, secure.
