Radioactive Decay Powers New Bitcoin Seed Phrase Generator
A new open-source device called Entropy32 Plus has emerged, using radioactive decay to generate Bitcoin seed phrases. This project aims to enhance cryptographic security by deriving randomness from a physical source rather than relying on software-based random number generators.
The device operates with a Geiger counter, which detects decay events and produces distinct electrical pulses that provide entropy for secure key generation. The intervals between these pulses are measured and used as raw random data by the onboard microcontroller.
To improve the quality of the entropy, a SHA-256 conditioning mechanism whitens this raw data before mapping it onto a BIP39-compliant 2048-word list, resulting in a seed phrase suitable for securing Bitcoin wallets entirely offline.