The KOI-18 is a hand-held paper tape reader developed by the U.S. National Security Agency

National Security Agency

The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...

 as a fill device

Fill device

A fill device is an electronic module used to load cryptographic keys into electronic encryption machines. Fill devices are usually hand held and battery operated....

 for loading cryptographic keys

Key (cryptography)

In cryptography, a key is a piece of information that determines the functional output of a cryptographic algorithm or cipher. Without a key, the algorithm would produce no useful result. In encryption, a key specifies the particular transformation of plaintext into ciphertext, or vice versa...

, or "crypto variables," into security devices, such as encryption

Encryption

In cryptography, encryption is the process of transforming information using an algorithm to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key. The result of the process is encrypted information...

 systems. It can read 8-level paper or PET tape

PET film (biaxially oriented)

BoPET is a polyester film made from stretched polyethylene terephthalate and is used for its high tensile strength, chemical and dimensional stability, transparency, reflectivity, gas and aroma barrier properties and electrical insulation.A variety of companies manufacture boPET and other...

, which is manually pulled through the reader slot by the operator. It is battery powered and has no internal storage, so it can load keys of different lengths, including the 128-bit keys used by more modern systems. The KOI-18 can also be used to load keys into other fill devices that do have internal storage, such as the KYK-13

KYK-13

The KYK-13 Electronic Transfer Device is a common fill device designed by the United States National Security Agency for the transfer and loading of cryptographic keys with their corresponding check word....

 and AN/CYZ-10

AN/CYZ-10

The AN/CYZ-10 Data Transfer Device, often called a Filler, Crazy 10, ANCD or DTD, is a United States National Security Agency-developed, portable, hand-held fill device, for securely receiving, storing, and transferring data between compatible cryptographic and communications equipment...

. The KOI-18 only supports the DS-102 interface.

A similar device was developed by Prof. Jean-Daniel Nicoud

Jean-Daniel Nicoud

Jean-Daniel Nicoud , is a Swiss computer scientist, noted for inventing of a computer mouse with an optical encoder and the CALM Common Assembly Language for microprocessors....

 for the Smaky

Smaky

The Smaky is a line of mostly 8-bit personal computers and accompanying operating system developed by Professor Jean-Daniel Nicoud and others at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland beginning in 1974. The computers were used at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and in...

 4 in 1975 .