Looking for ways to connect tech with humans in a more comforting manner, smart rings are gathering attention worldwide for its conveniency of wearing as well as being a companion. Handful of companies had put their shoes in this industry to give out wearables to streamline your daily productivity and enhance your daily way of work. Here are some companies with their peculiar functionality of the smart rings.
Voice Assistant Companion
ORII
Hong Kong’s startup ORII develops ‘Smart Rings’, that’s totally suitable for task-doers, feeling like a way more natural of interacting with the voice assistant.
A Google assistant on your finger!
The ring connects your phone’s google assistant with it, via Bluetooth and gets access to all your calls, emails, notifications, reminders and in fact news.
To access your assistant, simply tap the button on the side of the device, put your finger to your ear, and listen to the device’s voice. Speak into the device to convey your requests and demands, and the ring transmits your voice clearly across your assistant, even in loud environments.
This tech-wear started as a Kickstarter project in 2017, at first towards the idea of transmitting audio through vibrations that pass through your finger to your inner ear; Yes, as a hearing-aid.
Anyone can order the ring from Kickstarter or directly from their website for Rs. 2,800 ($199).
Amazon Echo Loop – Voice Assistant
Amazon leads off in the smart-ring industry unveiling its Amazon Echo Loop in 2019. The Loop is kind-a-like ORII, packed in with microphones and speakers and by the way to enable its users to interact with Alexa. With Loop around your fingers, you can access Amazon Echo by one quick press of the action button. While a long press triggers Google Assistant (for Android) or Siri (for iOS).
Loop can make your phone calls in just two clicks and enjoy battery-life for the whole day. Being in its beta-testing, amazon Loop is currently not available worldwide.
Sleep monitoring & Activity Tracking
Oura
Oura leads the smart-ring industry with its features and effective performance. Oura is a sleep-monitoring and activity tracking ring, that had a boatload of money from its kickstarter project. The ring connects via an app and uses data of your sleep to proffer an intuitive readiness score for the day.
The sleeky ring is equipped with multiple sensors, including infrared optical pulse measurement, a 3D accelerometer, gyroscope and body temperature sensors that all in whole insights your readiness, sleep and activities.
Oura has a whooping 7-day charge capability and stylizes in silver, black and stealth colours, priced at $299.
Buy Oura here!
Contactless Payments
McLEAR Ring
McLEAR Ring is a passive NFC smart ring designed for contactless payments. At the moment, McLEAR Ring is only available in the U.K. Nevertheless, the ring can be used at POS terminals anywhere around the world where Visa payWave is accepted. McLEAR plans to expand outside the U.K. soon.
The ring comes with the RingPay mobile app for Android and iOS, enabling you to connect your card or bank, keep track of your daily spending, and pause or lock a lost or stolen ring instantly.
In terms of security, NFC smart rings are much safer because the technology requires close proximity for a transaction to transpire. To boost security even further, McLEAR Ring comes with a secure, isolated bank account that rests safely between your cards and the merchants you make contactless payments at. No phishing, no identity theft to fear.
McLEAR doubles as a contactless transit pass; however, it’s currently only on the Transport for London (TfL) network.
McLEAR Ring costs £89.99 in black and white options.
Epilogue
Having a hardware to deal the calls, messages and activities, firms are now raging on to bringing tech in your conventional wearables. Like these smart rings pose an example for, Google too works on wearable tech, creating tattoos on your hand that could serve as a tech-companion. Read about it here.
References:https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/187732114/orii-your-voice-powered-smart-ringhttps://www.wareable.com/fashion/best-smart-rings-1340https://www.smartringnews.com/buyers-guide-2020