When Beyonce sang “If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it” perhaps she was referring to the advancing field of ring-related technology. These humble bands have come a long way from simply telling other people you are married or driving hobbits into a lustful frenzy of orgiastic power. Rings can help you pay for subway rides, control your touchscreen and do just about anything else you can think of. Now they may just act as your very own personal assistant.
This marvelous new ring is being developed by researchers at MIT. The EyeRing, as they’ve begun calling it, could point to a whole new era of mobile computing. It’s a ring with a camera attached that interacts with your smartphone to let you do all kinds of things. Here’s how it works. The wearer issues verbal commands to the device and gets audio feedback through a pair of earphones. Switching between modes (currency identification mode, color detection mode, etc.) is accomplished using a button mounted on the side of the ring. Consider it like a wearable, ring-sized Siri.
As of right now the EyeRing is compatible with the Android OS, with iOS on the way. While the researchers consider this an experimental product, they still say it could have many commercial uses. As such, it will cost $100 when it comes to market. That’s not a bad price for a lot of tech squeezed into a tiny ring-sized space.
Want to see the EyeRing in action? B-Ring your eyes to the video resting just below this sentence.
