this post was submitted on 13 Jul 2023
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[โ€“] julianh@lemm.ee 125 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (9 children)

Your car keys have better range if you press them to your head, since your skull will act as an antenna. It sounds like some made up pseudoscience that would never work in practice or have a negligible effect, but it actually works.

Edit: idk if it's actually because your skull acts as an antenna, although that's what I've heard. I looked it up and it seems like it's your head acting as a reasonance chamber. Since your body is conductive, your head can bounce and amplify the radio signal.

[โ€“] undercrust@lemmy.world 47 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It works best if you hold the fob under your chin and open your mouth in the direction you're aiming!

[โ€“] RogueTyre@lemmy.fmhy.ml 73 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I swear these comments look more and more like a ploy to make me look stupid in public

[โ€“] teawrecks@sopuli.xyz 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

For maximum effectiveness, open your mouth and make a "BONG" noise. It's literally the same technology as a radar detector.

[โ€“] cone_zombie@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Also works better if you spread your arms and hold the fob with your chin

[โ€“] electrogamerman@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Closing your eyes and assuming an earth bending position like Toph helps too. Bonus points if you make your feet stomp the ground.

And then point your left leg towards the sky for extra spread

[โ€“] fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com 2 points 1 year ago

The best id the look on people's faces when it works.

[โ€“] Zebov@lemmy.world 33 points 1 year ago (2 children)

On one side you have people that think 5g causes cancer. On the other, you have people directly beaming shit into their skulls to open their cars from a couple extra feet away.

Wild

[โ€“] julianh@lemm.ee 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

To be fair, radio waves have been everywhere for over a hundred years now. Plus, it's just low-frequency light. It's no different (probably safer even) than shining a flashlight at your head.

[โ€“] sunbeam60@lemmy.one 7 points 1 year ago

Supposing we could somehow bring the light into the body?! Or maybe we could inject them with disinfectant! We better look into that.

[โ€“] darcy@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

i dont believe it causes cancer necessarily, but i think 5g is worrying for the sake of big increase in location tracking precision

[โ€“] Justas@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

That is a very valid concern, to be honest.

[โ€“] zephyr@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Your skull acts as an antenna

How?

[โ€“] pturn1@lemmy.world 37 points 1 year ago

The tinfoil hat you're wearing amplifies the signal!

[โ€“] Ketchup@reddthat.com 18 points 1 year ago

Your skull is a parabolic reflector

[โ€“] buycurious@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Iโ€™ve read two takes on this before:

  1. The cavity of your head helps project the signal to your car

  2. The water molecules in your head amplify the radio waves to reach your car

[โ€“] Barbacamanitu@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

I can't imagine how water could amplify a signal. If anything, it's the reflector like shape of your skull.

[โ€“] Wander@yiffit.net 4 points 1 year ago

The way I do it is holding the bottom of the key under the soft part of the lower jaw while holding the mouth open as a resonance chamber.

[โ€“] buycurious@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Iโ€™ve read two takes on this before:

  1. The cavity of your head helps project the signal to your car

  2. The water molecules in your head amplify the radio waves to reach your car

[โ€“] domage@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

Alright, I came across some researchers who were keen on validating this. It appears quite credible. You can view the results of their simulation here: Digital Debunking: Using Your Head to Extend Your Car Remote Range

[โ€“] Cybermass@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (4 children)

There is absolutely no way this is true. I need to see some evidence to believe this. (I work as a wireless technician)

[โ€“] Steve@compuverse.uk 17 points 1 year ago

I've done it. It does work.

Hold your fob a foot to the side of your head. Back away until it stops working. Take 2 more steps back to be sure. Then put the fob to your forehead. It'll work again.

[โ€“] hardypart@feddit.de 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's true, but not because your skull acts like an antenna. It's because the signal is being reflected by the skull. You can actually just try it out, the range of your car keys will extend when you hold them to your chin.

[โ€“] Cybermass@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I doubt enough signal reflect of off your very radio wave observing skull to make much of a difference at all, it's most likely a placebo effect and the real reason it extends the range is because you are holding the key fob higher, so it has a better LOS with less obstructions, and it has a better chance to bounce waves off of the very reflective concrete on the ground up to the sensor of your car.

Organic materials are absolute crap at reflecting wireless signals, they are much better at absorbing and scattering them.

[โ€“] tko@tkohhh.social 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Let us know what you think after you try it!

Science is cool.

[โ€“] Cybermass@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Alright well unfortunately I can't really test it because the key fob for my car is hit or miss even when I'm right next to it.

I would love if someone can post some evidence, literally any evidence I will watch and take in. I have a scientific mindset, no problem being proven wrong, I'm very much open to new information but I need to see some evidence.

[โ€“] Deez@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

I found this small experiment, someone recorded on Physics StackExchange.

I also found this computer modelling, but Iโ€™m not familiar with the source (Altair.)

I have no leaning either way, and would welcome more data on the topic.

[โ€“] domage@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Alright, I came across some researchers who were keen on validating this. It appears quite credible. You can view the results of their simulation here: Digital Debunking: Using Your Head to Extend Your Car Remote Range

[โ€“] SpaghettiYeti@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

It definitely works. I do it all the time.

Next time you're in a parking lot, try to click your fob from a distance where it doesn't work. Then hold it to your chin or skull and click it. It almost doubles the range.

[โ€“] DJDarren@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago

It does work, and I always feel like a lunatic if I do it.

[โ€“] Weirdfish@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

I use this trick all the time to find my car I'm parking garages.

[โ€“] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

The first time I heard about this was in reference to garage door remotes.

If your remote was too far away, you placed the remote under your chin pointing to your skull to amplify the signal using your head.

[โ€“] burndown@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

I would love to see more info on this