The onslaught of wearable devices is hit or miss right now. Most of the ones I’ve seen are of dubious value, but Bionym’s upcoming Nymi wristband has enormous potential to improve our lives.
The Nymi works by using your unique electrocardiogram (ECG) signals to act as a biometric authentication layer for other devices, applications and services. Put another way, Nymi uses your heartbeat like a password to confirm that you are, in fact, you. According to Bionym CEO Karl Martin, ECG is significantly more reliable than face recognition and only slightly less secure than a fingerprint.
When it arrives later this year, Nymi will offer three-factor authentication: the wristband itself, your unique cardiac rhythm and a mobile device, like a smartphone or tablet. The Nymi hardware acts as a secure token that ties into the biometric, and your wristband will need to check-in with your smartphone or tablet at the beginning of the day.
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