NFC ring puts access to personal data on your finger
25 July, 2013
category: NFC
A new NFC-enabled ring being funded on KickStarter is attempting to bring authentication to your finger. The ring’s technology is far from complex, consisting of a titanium band and two inlays containing NFC chips. The two rings each serve their own purpose, with the larger, top chip dedicated to public information and smaller, housed on the inside of the ring reserved for private information.
The use of separate NFC chips is designed such that the wearer can use different hand gestures to share different information. What information is shared and when is up to the user.
At present the ring is capable of unlocking a smartphone or grant physical access to doors. On the personal side of the ring, sensitive data from simple URLs to more complex data like a Bitcoin code can be safeguarded.
The ring is programmable, working as a key fob and depending on the car, could also serve as an ignition switch.
John McLear, the ring’s creator, has set a price point of $38 per device to be purchased through Kickstarter. Things seem to be progressing well as the project recently achieved its initial goal of $46,000, and McLear reveals plans to use all funds raised on Kickstarter to expand the business, improve the rings and diversify the product line.
At present, the NFC rings work exclusively with the accompanying Android app, but the device can be hacked to add Windows and BlackBerry compatibility. There have been no plans as of yet to introduce iOS support – likely a product of Apple’s staunch opposition to NFC technology.
In the meantime, McLear and his colleagues are more concerned with like offering a steel ring option and developing the Windows app. Beyond that, McLear hopes to give the ring more character by offering broader aesthetic options in the form of colored inlays.
For more on the NFC rings, visit the company’s KickStarter site here.
