Smart rings are becoming a popular way to track health and fitness, and it looks like more companies want to find ways to make the finger-worn devices stand out. Oppo has filed a patent for a smart ring which gives us an interesting look at just how far out of the box firms are thinking.
Oppo’s idea for a smart ring is to make it modular. According to the patent the smart ring consists of three different sections — a ring, a holder, and the electronics — all covered by what looks like a dome. The electronics are placed on the ring but can be detached at any time. By making the hardware modular, the patent states the ring section will be thinner and lighter, making it more comfortable and suitable to be worn with other rings.
Unusually, the illustrations accompanying the patent show inner nubbins which likely hide the smart ring’s sensors at the top of the ring, rather than the underside as seen on many other smart rings, including the third-generation Oura Ring. It appears these are attached to the upper “holder” section and will also be removable. It’s not shown, but the smart ring would likely need a section without any electronics to fill in the gap left behind when they have been removed.
Perhaps the most striking design aspect is the dome which covers the electronics, giving it an appearance similar to a pearl ring or a signet ring. It’s not the most modern design for a ring, despite its high-tech innards, but it’s certainly very different to the understated designs we’re seeing for smart rings at the moment. The other question mark over Oppo’s patent is how many people will want to regularly remove the tech from a smart ring at all.
Smart rings are a very convenient way to track health and activity, and therefore ideal to wear all the time. It’s possible Oppo’s smart ring will focus on sleep tracking rather than daytime activity, making it only necessary to have the tracking features available when you go to bed. It’s certainly an unusual design and concept, however a patent does not mean this is all set to be a real product, so treat it as an insight into what companies are considering for future products, as more of us see the benefits of a smart ring over a smartwatch.