We’ve already seen some pretty unique ideas when it comes to device authentication. Not only has Motorola shown us a few out-of-the-box solutions like tattoos and pills, there’s also the NFC ring, which took Kickstarter by storm not too long ago. Now comes yet another radical approach to ‘unlocking’ your smartphone, a wearable bracelet called Nymi that uses your heartbeat to log in to your device.
So how does this magical little bracelet work exactly? The idea is that Nymi uses a electrocardiogram sensor to monitor your cardiac rhythm. In short, this allows the bracelet to tell the difference between your heartbeat and that of others. The bracelet also has a proximity sensor and motion detector allowing for basic motion gestures, too.
Out of the gate, the Nymi will work with Android, iOS, Mac and Windows devices - though the company has an even bigger vision for its product down the road.
Once you put on the bracelet, Nymi will authenticate all your compatible devices when you are near them. Unlike an NFC ring, if the bracelet is stolen, the thief won't be able to get in to your device, because he or she won't have the same cardiac rhythm as you.
Right now Nymi is still in the prototype stages, though Bionym (the device's creators) is currently plan to ship the device starting in early spring of next year. In the meantime, the company is already taking pre-orders for $79 for the first 25,000 orders. After that, Nymi will cost $99.
Out of the gate, the Nymi will work with Android, iOS, Mac and Windows devices – though the company has an even bigger vision for its product down the road, as demonstrated in the video below:
This is certainly a pretty unique idea and has a ton of potential, at least if it works as intended. Of course, paying $79 – $99 for an authentication tool might be a little hard to swallow for some folks.
What do think of the Nymi, is this something you could see yourself picking up?
