Can I unlock my car using my head?

CrowdScience listener Doug has been experimenting with holding his wireless garage key to his chin. Why? Because he's testing a strange trick of physics. The range of a key can apparently double when held against your head rather just being held in your hand. Could this really be true, and if so why? Presenter Caroline Steel goes on a wavy journey of self-experimentation with antennas. She follows the story of Doug as he wanders the streets of Calgary in Alberta, Canada testing the key on his head from different distances and even testing it on his dog Maura’s head. To understand the physics behind all this, Caroline meets Dr Lina Mohjazi, Lecturer of Autonomous Systems and Connectivity at the University of Glasgow and Guy Vandenbosch, Professor of Electromagnetic Radiation at KU Leuven University in Leuven, Belgium. Presenter: Caroline Steel Producer: Tom Bonnett Editor: Ben Motley (Photo: Hand holding a car key remote in front of a red car - stock photo Credit: vadishzainer via Getty Images)

You can listen to Can I unlock my car using my head? online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Can I unlock my car using my head? is an episode from CrowdScience by BBC.

This episode is 26:28 long.

This episode was published on Mar 20, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from CrowdScience when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.