Tim Cook may have laughed at Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White’s “iRing” prediction, but someone at Microsoft was clearly scratching their chin, intrigued at the idea.
That’s based on a recently published patent application from Microsoft showing how the company has investigated a finger ring as a possible future wearable device. Microsoft’s impressive-sounding wireless ring could be used as an input device either to control a cursor on a mobile device such as a tablet, smartphone, or even a head-up display like Google Glass.
As described, the ring would be able to recognize whether it was being worn by a user, detected by way of a microprocessor on the device.
The patent application also describes how it would be able to wirelessly harvest energy from nearby devices using NFC.
Finally Microsoft notes that it would be joining companies like Apple and Samsung in the health-tracking field, since the ring would also be capable of measuring a “user’s Galvanic Skin response (GSR), blood pressure and heart rate,” in addition to “physical conditions such as rotation, orientation, acceleration and temperature.”
What do you make of Microsoft’s plans? It apparently wasn’t good enough for Apple (although if you’re dying for an iRing you can still get one from multiple third-party manufacturers). Then again, it’s not Microsoft’s zaniest idea of the year either.
And given that “ring” at Microsoft is currently most synonymous with the Xbox 360’s “red rings of death” it could serve to be better than that.
Via: Patently Mobile
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
10 responses to “The ‘iRing’ Tim Cook mocked could be made a reality at Microsoft”
*head-up display
Problem with the ring concept: Where do you put the battery? An impossibly small battery in a ring would mean a device that has an extremely short operating span before requiring recharge. An underpowered device would severely limit functionality. If energy “harvesting” from NFC (Near Field Communication) devices is to be practical, these NFC devices must be present all over the environments you frequent. I don’t have any NFC devices in my home and office, so I’d be out of luck.
I’m not saying this technology of energy harvesting is impossible, but it’s a technology that depends on a ubiquitous NFC infrastructure that does not yet exist — unless it’s counting on cannibalizing the NFC emissions of the cell phone you carry.
I should have studied my science classes more thoroughly as a kid. I’m fascinated with energy producing sources that can generate electricity from movement, light and the presence of differing metals. I’d love to be doing research into these technologies as micro energy sources for personal device use. How about building sidewalks that use the pressure of pedestrian traffic to create electricity? Heck, if a few of these are built in 3 or 4 blocks in downtown Manhattan (maybe just outside the Apple Store), the daily traffic could probably be developed to harvest enough energy to allow the city to run for years.
This was a joke an MS will just have another flop. The copy cat MS can’t think for themselves it seems.
go home technology u’re drunk
nicey
It would be nice to have a NFC ring to open my house doors
You can do that right now as the passive RFID was there thirty years ago.
See http://nfcring.com – There is a whole community that help with solutions too: https://forum.nfcring.com/category/6/digital-door-locks
This looks familiar!!
http://wearfin.com/
NFC Ring guy here, pretty sure it would violate a bunch of our patents…