Jason R. Kauffman, who majors in mechanical engineering at Dayton, came up with his encryption idea while working on a science-fair project that used mathematical equations to improve computer animation.

Mr. Kauffman's work was inspired by a crowd scene from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which used computer-animation techniques that assigned numbers to body movements; a mathematical equation that generates pseudo-random numbers then fired off those numbers, giving the crowd a lively, chaotic appearance. Working with stick men in animation, Mr. Kauffman wanted to improve upon those techniques, assigning more numbers to more body parts and actions.

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