There are skilled locksmiths out there that can reproduce a key from high-resolution images, but new software developed by computer scientists at UC San Diego has simplified the process to a frightening degree. In fact, their "Sneakey" system can reproduce a key with only a grainy cellphone image or, in one case, a picture taken from 200 feet away with a five-inch telephoto lens.

 

“The program is simple. You have to click on the photo to tell it where the top of the key is, and a few other control points. From here, it normalizes the key’s size and position. Since each pixel then corresponds to a set distance, it can accurately guess the height of each of the key cuts,” explained Benjamin Laxton, the first author on the paper who recently earned his Master’s degree in computer science from UC San Diego.

 

The researchers have not released their code to the public, but they claim that anyone with a decent working knowledge of MatLab and computer vision techniques could create a similar system without much difficulty. Their suggestion: treat your keys like you would a credit card.

 

Link

Interesting.

Something seems not right about this. Most keys don't have tumblers that descend all the way from front to back - there are ups and downs as you go back through the chamber. So it follows that, you couldn't possibly see all the tumblers and their hanging bits, and therefore, this won't work.

 

I am highly skeptical of this article.

 

There are skilled locksmiths out there that can reproduce a key from high-resolution images, but new software developed by computer scientists at UC San Diego has simplified the process to a frightening degree. In fact, their "Sneakey" system can reproduce a key with only a grainy cellphone image or, in one case, a picture taken from 200 feet away with a five-inch telephoto lens.

 

“The program is simple. You have to click on the photo to tell it where the top of the key is, and a few other control points. From here, it normalizes the key’s size and position. Since each pixel then corresponds to a set distance, it can accurately guess the height of each of the key cuts,” explained Benjamin Laxton, the first author on the paper who recently earned his Master’s degree in computer science from UC San Diego.

 

The researchers have not released their code to the public, but they claim that anyone with a decent working knowledge of MatLab and computer vision techniques could create a similar system without much difficulty. Their suggestion: treat your keys like you would a credit card.

 

Link

 

Cool that the program can do this. But why would any bad guy go through all the effort of doing it this way, when you can create a bump key and circumvent most of the locks out there. Hell there is wiki sites and youtube video's instructing bad guys how to make the bump key, and the proper technique for breaking into the door.

 

 

Second thought on this though... this may be the beginning of the end of hard keys.

 

Something seems not right about this. Most keys don't have tumblers that descend all the way from front to back - there are ups and downs as you go back through the chamber. So it follows that, you couldn't possibly see all the tumblers and their hanging bits, and therefore, this won't work.

 

I am highly skeptical of this article.

 

Aren't you looking at the key not the tumbler? What you are making a copy of is a key. It seems possible to me to make a 3D model from the picture. The part I was sceptical of is the normalize the size part. There are numerous blanks out there, I don't see where there is one universal "size" to normalize to.

Aren't you looking at the key not the tumbler? What you are making a copy of is a key. It seems possible to me to make a 3D model from the picture. The part I was sceptical of is the normalize the size part. There are numerous blanks out there, I don't see where there is one universal "size" to normalize to.

Oh, well in that case, this is almost a "duh". If you have a decent picture of a key, reproducing it is easy. Nothing surprising there.

 

Oh, well in that case, this is almost a "duh". If you have a decent picture of a key, reproducing it is easy. Nothing surprising there.

 

The point of the project is that this use to take a skilled locksmith and a clear picture, now it can be done with (their example) a shot from very far away. The example they used was a photo of keys sitting on a table that was taken from the 4 story building across the street. The image was enlarged to where the keys were visible.

So the bad guy is going to have to buy this software, a telephoto lens, a key grinder and go through all this trouble to get my 10 year old 42 inch TV, a computer that's so slow I need to turn it on before I go to bed if I want to use it in the morning and a DVD player, PS2, VCR and Cerwin Vega speakers that have been beaten to death by 3 kids? Hell, I'll just open the door for him when he knocks.

So the bad guy is going to have to buy this software, a telephoto lens, a key grinder and go through all this trouble to get my 10 year old 42 inch TV, a computer that's so slow I need to turn it on before I go to bed if I want to use it in the morning and a DVD player, PS2, VCR and Cerwin Vega speakers that have been beaten to death by 3 kids? Hell, I'll just open the door for him when he knocks.

 

Man you got a 42" TV, sweeeeeet

 

Great point.

So the bad guy is going to have to buy this software, a telephoto lens, a key grinder and go through all this trouble to get my 10 year old 42 inch TV, a computer that's so slow I need to turn it on before I go to bed if I want to use it in the morning and a DVD player, PS2, VCR and Cerwin Vega speakers that have been beaten to death by 3 kids? Hell, I'll just open the door for him when he knocks.

 

Change that 42 inch TV to a 27 inch and I'd think you were talking about my house.

Oops. I meant to say 32 inch TV. Wishful thinking, I guess.

Oops. I meant to say 32 inch TV. Wishful thinking, I guess.

 

I got a 29" for my ex-wife

 

best.trade.ever

I got a 2.9" for my ex-wife

 

Hmmm that could explain some things

Hmmm that could explain some things

 

Ah, the evil misquoter rides in