This is not very convenient !? A smart lock function that can unlock the door has been added to the smart ring "EVERING" that allows cashless payment.

The evolution of cashless payments is remarkable, but at the same time, the evolution of smart locks is also remarkable.

What is no longer called a "key" is nothing more than a location feature built into a smartphone or wearable device, and the jagged physical key may be disappearing.

So what will change in our lives if cashless payments and smart keys are on the same wearable device?

The near future, where "wallet" and "key" are synonymous, is approaching.

Ring for Visa touch payment

On March 15, EVERING Inc., which handles smart rings for payment, and Bitkey, Inc., which develops the smart lock business, announced the cooperation of product functions. In a nutshell, this is a combination of a wallet and a key.

First, let's talk about EVERING. This is a prepaid payment smart ring that supports Visa touch payment.

Although it is a method of filling the balance from the linked credit card, EVERING itself can be used at Visa member stores around the world.

The author recently published an article on @DIME entitled "How will the Japanese cashless industry change with the spread of Visa touch payments?"

In fact, EVERING is also a gadget created by the expansion of Visa touch payments.

The emergence of contactless payments, which have a different standard from transportation IC cards, means the introduction of such new products.

EVERING is a "normal ring" that looks and feels good. The material is zirconia ceramic. There are 17 sizes from US4.5 to 13.

Whether it's a glove-like writer's hand or a girl's hand, choosing the right size will fit it perfectly.

The purpose of this functional cooperation is to utilize such EVERING as a non-contact unlocking device for smart locks.

Farewell long wallet!

Bitkey Co., Ltd.'s smart lock bitlock MINI and expansion device bitreader + will be installed on the front door so that it can be unlocked with EVERING. The realization of that mechanism is literally the realization of "empty life".

In Japan during the bubble era, the trend was to put a large wallet in the pocket of the slacks of a suit. A large number of Yukichi Fukuzawa was packed in the wallet of crocodile leather and ostrich.

However, such a scene is now old. In modern times, people who are blessed with disposable income are more stylish or more minimalist. "I don't carry anything extra."

If you have EVERING and Visa touch payments are even more widespread, you won't even need a smartphone anymore. EVERING does not require charging. You can "keep it on".

The author thinks that one of the criteria for "if Visa touch payment becomes more popular than it is now" is "can it be used at self-service gas stations?"

If Visa touch payments can be used at stands from urban areas to mountainous areas, it should be possible to carry out long drives with smartphones at home as well as wallets.

On top of that, if we could unlock the front door of our house with EVERING, the lifestyle of us modern people would change drastically.

You can also install smart locks in your apartment!

bitlock MINI is a "construction-free smart lock". In other words, it can be installed without making irreparable modifications to the front door. You can also remove the bitlock MINI by yourself when you move out.

This also means that it can be installed at the entrance of an apartment building.

However, no matter how much construction is unnecessary, the understanding of the landlord and the manager is indispensable. A temperature difference may occur around this point.

In fact, my acquaintance also talked with the landlord of the apartment to introduce smart lock. At this point, some landlords should be wondering, "What is a smart lock?"

However, as with cashless payments, their existence will be recognized over time.

There is a possibility that the smart lock itself will become widely known as a "next-generation security device" in the wake of the functional cooperation with EVERING.

【reference】

EVERING

Bitkey Store

New function added to smart ring "EVERING" "Door unlocking" is possible just by holding the ring-PR TIMES

Interview / text / Shinichi Sawada