After profiles were stored, the researchers designated one person's signature as the "owner" of the device and repeated the tests.
LatentGesture successfully matched the owner and flagged everyone else as unauthorised users.
"Just like your fingerprint, everyone is unique when they use a touchscreen," said Chau.
"Some people slide the bar with one quick swipe. Others gradually move it across the screen. Everyone taps the screen with different pressures while checking boxes," said Chau.
Researchers also programmed the system to store five touch signatures on the same device - one "owner" and four authorised users. When someone other than the owner used the tablet, the system identified each with 98 percent accuracy.
"This feature could be used when a child uses her dad's tablet," said College of Computing sophomore Premkumar Saravanan.
"The system would recognise her touch signature and allow her to use the device. But if she tried to buy an app, the system could prevent it," said Saravanan.
Researchers say LatentGesture's biggest advantage is that the system is constantly running in the background. The user doesn't have to do anything different for added security and authentication.
