Is it possible to generate random numbers using physical sensors?

Question

I\'ve heard about people using light sensors, geiger counters, and other physical sensors to generate random numbers, but I\'m skeptical. Is there really a way to generate

Answer 1

I have been experimenting with hardware sources for random number generation, and so far they seem to provide an unpredictable source. If whitening techniques are used, any underlying biases are reduced/eliminated to allow for them to produce a uniform sequence of random integers.

If you would like to try and experiment, I have implemented a Arduino compatible library that uses the jitter associated with the watchdog timer to generate random numbers. Preliminary results indicate it is producing results suitable for cryptographic purposes.

Can be found at Code.google library repository