Smart Chip Switzerland launches fingernail-based chip
Sursee - Smart Chip Switzerland AG has made its smart chip available for sale in Switzerland and Germany. The chip, which is applied to the fingernail, can be used for contactless payments and to send contact data. Other functions are also in the pipeline.
Smart Chip Switzerland AG has started the market launch of its smart chip. The chip, which is applied to the finger nail, will initially be on offer at around 100 locations in Switzerland and Germany, as the company from Sursee in the canton of Lucerne writes in a press release. The development process of the smart chip saw Smart Chip Switzerland work closely with Infineon and LUX-IDent.
Initially, the smart chip can be used for contactless payments and to send personal contact details, although plans are also in place for additional applications in the future. In this regard, the press release mentions examples such as the ability to open security entrances or get into one’s own car.
«It has been a long journey to develop and patent the smart chip and its application to such perfection that it is ready for global market launch», comments Claude Niedermann, founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Smart Chip Switzerland, in the press release. In the view of Tolgahan Yildiz, Head of Trusted Mobile Connectivity and Transactions Product Line at Infineon, Smart Chip Switzerland is an «innovation driver that combines security and convenience in payments and beyond. It is therefore a perfect fit for Infineon as a global leader in security solutions».
The smart chip, consisting of the actual chip, a coil, and tiny capacitors, is currently used primarily in nail-based studies. It can be covered with standard nail polish but needs replacing every six to nine weeks. After the desired data has been entered via an app, the smart chip can be used without any additional device.
