Holding your car remote against your head to boost its signal actually works – here’s why



Ever heard of the simple “hack” where you can unlock your car from further away, if you place the remote control key fob up by your head? Or perhaps the one where you place it under your chin, then opening your mouth to “beam” the signal towards your car?

Well, we have (at least the second one), and it definitely worked the last time we tried it. We didn’t really think about why or how it worked, and if we’re being honest, we didn’t really care – but some people certainly did.

Heated debates happened across internet forums, where some claim that it only works because the key fob is physically higher, thus giving a larger signal coverage – but that’s easily disprovable by just trying it away from your head. So if it only works when the key is placed near our heads, that means the signal is definitely being boosted by our bodies. But how?

Well, fortunately, a YouTuber by the name of Kyle Hill just published a new video explaining the science behind the superpower-like phenomenon.

Meanwhile, the Genesis GV60 will let you unlock the car with just your face! Check it out here.

Essentially, the reason that this happens is due to the fact that nearly 60% of our body is made up of water. And water, as Hill explains, basically acts as an amplifier for the key fob’s wireless signals, thanks to an effect called “dielectric resonator”.

We’re too underqualified to even attempt explaining the science-y mumbo jumbos behind the phenomenon, so be sure to give it the whole video a watch. But essentially, it’ll work the same with any container of water, as Hill demonstrated in the video.

So if you’re concerned about people giving you weird looks the next time you try to lock or unlock your car from a distance, maybe keep a bottle of water handy.

[Source: YouTube via Jalopnik]