Often billed as the future of wearables, smart rings are perhaps one of the most discreet gadgets around that effortlessly blend technology with fashion. While these handy (or should we say fingery?) devices have existed for years now, Samsung pulled them into the limelight at its latest Unpacked event, teasing its upcoming Galaxy Ring.
But what exactly are smart rings and what can they do? We take a look at the capabilities and limitations of this new category of miniaturised health trackers.
Tiny yet mighty, smart rings pack impressive technology into a small ring-sized device. They can monitor health stats, control other devices, and much more, much like their bulkier smartwatch counterparts. Equipped with advanced sensors, smart rings track metrics including heart rate, blood oxygen levels, sleep quality, steps, and even stress levels. The data is then viewable on a connected smartphone app, allowing users to analyse trends and progress towards health goals.
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Beyond wellness tracking, some smart rings add convenience through features like gesture controls and haptic feedback for notifications. For example, a simple flick of the finger lets you do things like dim smart lights or cue up a playlist. When a call or message comes in, a subtle buzz on the finger lets you know without having to grab your phone.
Notice how the sensors are only visible from the inner side on the Oura Ring. (Image: Oura)Notice how the sensors are only visible from the inner side on the Oura Ring. (Image: Oura)
And the coolest part? Smart rings are virtually indistinguishable from their less functional, ornamental counterparts – at least when you’ve got them on. While their ‘underbelly’ may be packed with sensors, the outside is typically smooth, uninterrupted metal.
The biggest perk offered by smart rings is their constant health monitoring, which is designed such that it requires barely any user intervention, unlike smartwatches and fitness trackers. The Oura Ring is perhaps the most popular example that lets you keep tabs on your health and wellness. There’s also the Happy Ring, which goes a step further by offering personalised breathing exercises and guided meditations to help users improve their mood.
The companion app for the Oura Ring displaying important health metrics. (Image: Oura)The companion app for the Oura Ring displaying important health metrics. (Image: Oura)
But health tracking is only one of the many functions. Another convenient feature is contactless payment. Rings like the McLear RingPay let you link your bank account or card to the ring. Then, when you’re shopping at a store with a compatible point-of-sale system, you can simply hover your hand over the terminal to complete a payment. Some rings also allow you to make payments by tapping your phone against the ring, providing more flexibility.
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Smart home control is another popular use case. Smart rings typically include gesture recognition, so you can perform gestures like twisting or tapping the ring to do things like turn off lights, adjust your thermostat, unlock doors, and more. Some companies are even exploring using rings to start your car.
For security, smart rings can also function as access badges, letting you unlock doors and gates with a simple touch of your finger.
For one, their tiny form factor means there’s no display at all. Interactions are therefore limited, with smart rings best used as a complementary device to your smartphone rather than a standalone gadget. Getting the right fit can also prove challenging when ordering online, as rings need to match your exact finger size. Companies try to alleviate this issue by providing sizing kits prior to purchase, but it adds time and hassle to the buying process, with no guarantee of a perfect fit.
Sizing kit for the Ultrahuman ring. (Image: Ultrahuman)Sizing kit for the Ultrahuman ring. (Image: Ultrahuman)
While fitness trackers offer a much wider range of health tracking capabilities and metrics, smart rings provide some key advantages that could allow them to collect more comprehensive and accurate data over an extended period of time. Because of their tiny, miniaturised form factor, smart rings are designed to be worn comfortably 24 hours a day, even while sleeping, without getting in the way or causing discomfort. This continuous wearing means that smart rings are more likely to remain on the user’s finger at all times, collecting health data day and night.
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So even though smart rings may track fewer health metrics at the moment, their prolonged and uninterrupted contact with the user’s body provides the potential for superior long-term health data collection and pattern analysis, allowing them to keep users better informed about irregularities in their health.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring from its teaser. (Image: Samsung)
Samsung’s Galaxy Ring is set to launch later this year. No smart ring has really hit the mainstream yet, but if Samsung can pack comprehensive tracking and seamless connectivity into a competitively priced design, it could be the gadget that finally makes smart rings take off. Once that happens, we may see smart rings explode in popularity, with cheap Chinese offerings perhaps eventually driving mainstream adoption – just like affordable fitness trackers did.
The real game-changer will come when blood pressure and glucose monitoring tech matures enough to be included safely. Companies like Apple, Samsung, and Huawei are all working on it. Once ready, expect to see these lifesaving features in rings too. For diabetics, that would be huge – no more finger pricking to check blood sugar, since rings stay on 24/7. By enabling constant real-time monitoring of blood pressure and glucose levels, smart rings could become indispensable wearables for millions who depend on keeping close tabs on these vital health metrics.
The Luna smart ring can deliver up to 7 days of battery life. (Image: Noise)The Luna smart ring can deliver up to 7 days of battery life. (Image: Noise)
In the meantime, a couple of Indian brands have actually beaten more mainstream brands at their game. Models like the boAt Smart Ring or Noise’s Luna Ring boast a boatload of functions, although they do cost significantly more than fitness trackers offering similar functionality.
A smart ring is a compact wearable electronic device that combines mobile technology with features for convenient on-the-go use. These devices, typically designed to fit on a finger like a traditional ring, offer functionalities like mobile payments, access control, gesture control, and activity tracking. Smart rings can connect to smartphones or other devices, and some can operate independently, communicating with cloud-based systems or performing standalone tasks. While lacking traditional displays, they respond to contextual cues, such as proximity to payment terminals or specific gestures.[1]
In 2013, the British company McLear, co-founded by John McLear, Chris Leach, and Joe Prencipe, introduced the first commercially available smart ring.[2] Today, a multitude of companies produce smart rings for various use cases, expanding the options available to consumers.
Use
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A prominent feature of smart rings is their ability to function as near-field communication devices, providing an alternative to carrying traditional items such as credit cards, door keys, car keys, and potentially even ID cards or driver's licenses.[3][4] Additionally, these rings can connect to smartphones, serving as notification devices for incoming calls, text messages, emails, and other alerts. They can also act as gesture-based controllers, enabling users to perform various actions with simple hand motions. Furthermore, smart rings offer the capability to track health-related metrics, including steps taken, distance travelled, sleep patterns, heart rate, and calorie consumption.[5][6]
Security
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Secure access control such as for company entry and exit, home access, cars, and electronic devices was the first use of smart rings. Smart rings change the status quo for secure access control by increasing ease of use, decreasing physical security flaws such as by ease of losing the device, and by adding two-factor authentication mechanisms including biometrics and key code entry.
Payments and ticketing
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Smart rings can perform payments and metro ticketing similar to contactless cards, smart cards, and mobile phones. Security of the transaction is equal to or greater than contactless cards. The first smart ring to be created with contactless payments was the NFC Payment Ring, which was mass produced and unveiled at the Olympics Summer Games at Rio de Janeiro in August 2016.[7]
The first smart ring in the world using contactless payments, made by McLearActivity
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Similar to smartwatches, smart rings utilise in-built sensors to provide activity and wellness tracking. For example, step and heart beat tracking,[8] temperature and sleep tracking (through measuring heart beats and movements) and blood flow.[9] The smart ring form factor contains enough space to contain the same components as smartwatches. However, due to size constraints, smaller components are typically used in current smart ring products in the market, such as smaller and less accurate accelerometers, and smaller batteries leading to lower battery life than smartwatches.[10]
Communications
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Through the use of a small microphone, or bone conduction, some smart rings can allow the wearer to make phone calls while paired with a compatible mobile phone.[11] Smart rings are also able to notify the wearer of incoming calls and messages, by means of vibrating or lighting up.[12]
Additionally, some smart rings allow the wearer to see and feel real-time heartbeat of the 2nd smart ring wearer, where the heartbeat is displayed on the ring similarly by means of lighting up and vibrations.[13] Such smart rings require connection to a smartphone with active data or Wi-Fi connection to allow the transfer of data between two smart rings. The idea behind such function is to advance on a premise known as vena amoris and serve as a digital alternative to classic wedding or engagement rings.[14]
Social
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Smart rings provide social feedback to users and can be used to engage in the user's environment in a way that other wearables and mobile devices do not permit. Some smart rings provide notifications (e.g. lights or vibrations) to notify the user when they receive a text message, phone call, or other notification. This enables the user to be aware of the notification without having to constantly check their smartphone.
See also
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References
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