US Patent 7667570 - Nanostructured combination key-lock

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7667570.html

This patent from Lockheed Martin proposes a new type of application for nanostructured materials as a replacement for magnetic strips used in key cards. Claim 1 reads:

1. A lock deactivating or activating mechanism comprising:

a sensor detecting a friction force pattern generated from sliding a first nanopatterned surface comprising a key past a second nanopatterned surface comprising a lock element,

said friction force pattern resulting from changes in distance between said first and second nanopatterned surfaces; and

a controller receiving output from said sensor and comparing same to stored values.