Secure Digital Wallet - Wearable Technology

The latest wearable technology to come to market is TROVE. Developed by experience design agency LAYER, TROVE is a digital wallet that works with an app. TROVE is a work of industrial design offering users an apparently hack-proof, cryptocurrency storage medium.

TROVE | Coin

The coin is a 3mm x 20mm wearable disc. It stores currency offline on the hardware – rather than online. This means it is less susceptible to hacking attempts.

The coin is unlocked using the user’s ECG signature. This is a biometric method of verification that recognises the unique heartbeat pattern of the user when they touch the contact zone on the front of the coin.

Bluetooth is then activated and enables the coin to communicate with the user’s smartphone to allow funds to be accessed. Because of this, it is impossible to lose or forget the authentication for the coin unlike other cryptocurrency wallets.

TROVE | Keep and Safe

Alongside the coin are Keep and Safe.

Keep is a container made from volcanic rock and polycarbonate. This is powered by a USB-C port and is used to inductively charge the coin.

The user’s cryptocurrency is safely stored at home using Safe, a “discreet personal home bank”. “While Coin stores currency for daily use, Safe holds your decentralised personal wealth at home,” said Layer.

TROVE | app

The third part of TROVE is the Trove app which provides the interface for the whole system. It can be used to look at spending history, monitor how the value of the currency changes over time, and compare the performance of different cryptocurrencies.

The app also features a tracking function so the user knows exactly where their Coin is at all times.

Layer said, “Researchers speculate that 35 per cent of all bitcoins have been lost due to irrecoverable passwords. As the security of bitcoin is based on complex private keys that allow the transfer of funds, once the private key is lost, it is extremely improbable that lost coins can be recovered. This system is much simpler than existing systems that require complex password recovery systems or the need to print multiple pages of unique cryptographic hashes“.

Wearable technology

TROVE is designed to enable the user to decide if they hide their Coin or wear it in plain sight. For those who wish to openly display the Coin, as a fashion accessory, a number of options are available for personalisation. Users can magnetically attach the Coin to a wristband, a necklace or brooch which are available in a range of designs.