Company uses wall of lava lamps to create 'unhackable' code that protects people on the internet

An encryption company has a very unusual technique for ensuring that their data is as difficult as possible to hack.

When it comes to protecting data online, encryption is a very useful way to do this.

For this, you would need to use an encryption key to access the encrypted data.

This is a great way to protect it, but it all hinges on how easy the code is to get hold of if you're not the intended recipient, because if you have the key then the data is no longer encrypted.

The problem is that if you are using computers to generate these codes then the machines can start to show patterns in the codes they generate.

And if you can spot a pattern, then it's possible you can find a way to guess or predict a code.

If you make enough guesses using a predictable pattern which you've observed, then it's possible that one will be correct eventually, and then the game's up.

So, the obvious way to get around this problem is make sure that your encryption codes are as random as is possible.

But how do you go about ensuring this?

Cloudflare

Encryption company Cloudflare came up with an elegant and effective solution - they use lava lamps.

Yes, you read that right.

Completely random codes are difficult, but when you look at the movement in a lava lamp it's never quite the same between any two moments.

Part of what makes them so appealing is how they morph and change in that charming way.

This is a random pattern, and more importantly is very unpredictable, which makes it useful.

Instagrammer @londonliu_ took to the social media platform to explain how this works.

Instagram / @londonliu_

She explained: "As the lava lamp bubbles move a video camera on the ceiling mirrors their changes to a computer, which converts the randomness into a code that's pretty much un-hackable."

Not only that, but you can even participate in the process.

You might think that such important lava lamps would be safely locked away in some bizarre science fiction vault, but in fact they are open to the public.

@londonliu_ explained: "It's actually possible to see these lava lamps in person. The company actually welcomes visitors because external disturbances like human movement and changes in lighting all work together to make the random code even harder to predict.

"So in a way by standing in front of the lava lamp display, you play a role in making the internet a more secure place."