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OVERVIEW



THE CHALLENGE


The Design Jam was hosted by The New School Innovation Center in partnership with the IBM Skills Academy and IBM Quantum team. The Design Jam focused on two main themes: Art & Design, and Music and explore the intersection between the creative arts and quantum physics. We were asked to use the week to produce a creative approach of Quantum Art.



THE CONCEPT


Premise: Our digital identity is usually lack of connection to the physical identity, yet our physical identity information (biometrics) could be vulnerable on the Internet.

We propose that Quantum Cryptography has the power to replace modern encryption and safeguard future sensitive data as we enter Web3.

Our approach is to encrypt our biometrics using both quantum cryptography and visual representation, allowing us to extend our one-of-a-kind identity in the metaverse



PROTOTYPE DEMO











LEARNING   & IMPLEMENTATION








What is Quantum Computing?


Quantum computing is a rapidly-emerging technology that harnesses the laws of quantum mechanics, like entanglement, superposition, etc. to solve problems too complex for classical computers.

IBM Quantum Systems

What is Quantum Cryptography?


Quantum cryptography is a method of encryption that uses the naturally occurring properties of quantum mechanics to secure and transmit data in a way that cannot be hacked. The one method we learned is called Quantum Key Distribution. 

Quantum Key Distribution is based on the principles of quantum physics not mathematics. The best known example of quantum cryptography is quantum key distribution. In QKD a quantum key is generated by modifying the properties of photons. It implements a cryptographic protocol that makes use of the fact that measuring a qubit can change its state. The QKD setup has a transmitter (Alice) and a receiver (Bob). Alice dispatches encoded photons on a dedicated quantum channel, while bob decodes these photons using a single photon detector. Both the devices run a series of tests to ensure that encoded photons weren’t tampered with in route. Only after the authentication is complete, a quantum key derived. Transimitter Alice then encrypts the data using this key and send it over a standard communication chanel to Bob, who then uses the quantum key to decrypt the data.

While a hacker can still intercept the quantum encrypted information and clone it, the absence of a quantum key makes the information secure. Any attempt to eavesdrop the quantum Channel would change the quantum state of photons, leaving the chance to detect an intrusion and stop the interception.

Qiskit Quantum Key Distribution Textbook


Data Generation


We studied quantum cryptography, key distribution, and quantum circuit from the Qiskit Textbook. Also, we found a limited number of qubits we could demonstrate on the quantum composer, so we used python and were able to follow the steps to generate a shared security key. Then used the key to encrypt our biometric data, in this case, a set of binary fingerprint data. The encoded data became the material to build the patterns for garments.












DESIGN










VISUAL GUIDE


As for visual reference, we are inspired by Rei Kawakubo and Iris Van Herpen’s work. We admire the free-form and unconventional designs that we believe could empower us to be whoever we want. And that is what we want to bring to the metaverse.
















PROTOTYPING

We uploaded the encrypted binary biodata to Touch Designer and mapped it to create a digital pattern, exploring different forms and colors as we explored the extendibility of one’s identity.












FUTURE STEPS

Continue learning  What’s Quantum?
What’s Quantum Key Distribution? How does it work?
Why is Quantum Cryptography safe? Where can I apply it?

Continue exploring on embed qiskit code in Touch Designer, and the possibility of creating a platform for users to customize their own digital identity garments.



                




©  Lynette Huang 2023

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