USER AUTHENTICATION WITH PORTABLE DEVICE AND SMART FLOOR

A user obtains authentication credentials using a portable device, such as a smart phone. While standing on a smart floor in a facility, the portable device transmits the authentication credentials to the smart floor. The body of the user electromagnetically couples to electrodes in a touch sensor of the portable device and one or more antennas of the smart floor, acting as a signal path for signals between the mobile device and the smart floor. For example, one or more of the voltage applied to the electrodes, timing of when voltage is applied, and so forth, may be used to produce a particular electromagnetic signal that conveys the authentication credentials. The authenticated user may now be tracked in the facility using the smart floor.