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Smart ring

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A smart ring being worn

A smart ring is a compact wearable electronic device that resembles a jewellery ring. They are often fitness and sleep trackers that wirelessly pair with a smartphone to transfer data. Many can also alert the wearer to smartphone push notifications. Some smart rings are used for near-field communication (NFC) applications such as contactless payment and access control, similarly to chip cards. Smart rings may include other sensors such as GPS trackers.

Smart rings can connect to smartphones or other devices, and some can operate independently, communicating with cloud computing systems or performing standalone tasks. Although many are displayless, they respond to contextual cues, such as gesture controls or proximity to NFC touchpoints,[1] and can give haptic feedback.

Uses

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Use cases for smart rings are varied, and comparable to those of smartwatches.

Health

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Many smart rings have sensors to track health metrics[2][3] such as steps, heart rate,[4] temperature, sleep (through heart and motion sensing), and blood flow.[5] Due to size constraints, smart rings typically include smaller and less accurate accelerometers, and smaller batteries, than smartwatches.[6]

Communications and socialization

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Many smart rings can connect to the Internet and cellular radio, typically through a paired smartphone, to deliver or alert of notifications by vibrating or lighting up.[7] Some use microphones or bone conduction to function as a handset.[8]

Some rings can display or vibrate in sync with the heartbeat of another wearer,[9] based on vena amoris, a belief cited for the designation of the ring finger for engagement and wedding rings.[10]

Security

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Some smart rings are NFC devices that can be used in physical and financial security, as an alternative to carrying items such as credit cards, door keys, car keys, and potentially even ID cards or driver's licenses.[speculation?][11][12]

Smart rings were first used for secure access control, such as for company entry and exit, home access, cars, and electronic devices.[citation needed] They may be considered more difficult to lose, since they are worn directly on the hand. They can include two-factor authentication mechanisms such as biometrics and key code entry.[citation needed]

Payments and ticketing

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Smart rings that support contactless payment

Some smart rings can perform cashless payments and metro ticketing similar to contactless cards, smart cards, and mobile phones.[13] Security of the transaction is equal to or greater than contactless cards.[citation needed] The first smart ring to support contactless payment, the NFC Payment Ring, was unveiled at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[citation needed][promotion?]

Gesture control

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Some smart rings can act as gesture-based controllers, to perform various actions with simple hand motions.[example needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Xenxo's S-Ring wants to replace your smartwatch and fitness tracker". Wareable. 2018-05-16. Archived from the original on 2022-05-20. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  2. ^ Widder, Brandon (February 23, 2015). "Put a ring on it: 4 smart rings that are more useful than getting you engaged". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on September 8, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  3. ^ Plummer, Libby (July 7, 2016). "Smart rings: The good, the bad and the ugly in smart jewellery". Wearable.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  4. ^ "Motiv Ring | 24/7 Smart Ring | Fitness + Sleep Tracking | Online Security Motiv Ring". Motiv. Archived from the original on 2020-08-17. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  5. ^ "Learn how Oura ring works | Go inside | Oura Ring". Oura Ring. Archived from the original on 2020-01-24. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  6. ^ "Review:Oura Ring". WIRED. Archived from the original on 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  7. ^ RINGLY. "Ringly Luxe - Smart Rings". RINGLY. Archived from the original on 2021-08-13. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  8. ^ "ORII | The Voice Powered Smart Ring | Hong Kong". ORII | The Voice Powered Smart Ring | Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 2022-05-27. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  9. ^ HUFFPOST (9 August 2016). "This Ring Lets You Feel Your Spouse's Heartbeat In Real Time". HUFFPOST. Archived from the original on 2022-03-26. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  10. ^ TheTouch X. "HB Ring". TheTouch X. Archived from the original on 2022-05-13. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  11. ^ M., Joe (August 24, 2016). "The long-awaited NFC Ring will finally land on your finger this December". Phone Arena. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  12. ^ Boden, Rian (August 24, 2016). "NFC Ring circles the globe". NFC World. Archived from the original on November 27, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  13. ^ "Smart Rings Seen as New Frontier for Cashless Payments". Bloomberg.com. 25 May 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-11-12. Retrieved 2021-11-11.