Ultra-Small Devices Enables NFC Wireless Charging
SECORA™ Connect X, an all-in-one turnkey NFC solution from Infineon Technologies provides an easy path to EMVCo-based payments.
In addition, the solution now also enables NFC wireless charging for smart wearables such as smart rings, wristbands, smartwatches and more making them more user-friendly and convenient.
“The next few years will be exciting for the wearables industry as the use of sensors and digitally-enabled devices increases and healthcare becomes a major driver of innovation for wearables,” said Tolgahan Yildiz, Head of Payment Solutions at Infineon’s Connected Secure Systems Division. “NFC wireless charging will become increasingly important to power ever smaller devices, both for increased user convenience and to enable slim designs. Our SECORA Connect X solution supports this trend by turning ultra-small passive wearables – which can be everyday objects such as rings or wristbands – into smart connected devices that enable digital payment transactions.”
According to ABI research, smart wearables will reach approximately 700 million units by 2027, growing strongly at a CAGR of 12.8 percent. Wearables such as Oura Ring and Whoop Band fitness trackers for monitoring the fitness routines of athletes are now widely used. The rise in chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and obesity is also driving the demand for wearables. At the same time, the trend toward easy, fast and convenient digital payment options has been accelerated by the pandemic, prompting service providers to develop more IoT-enabled devices for a contact-free seamless payment experience. These devices require a new small form factor, high security, and, of course, trusted consumer and payment data protection.
The SECORA Connect X boosted NFC solution offers advanced secured remote management capabilities and enables consumer authentication on the corresponding smart device. Designed primarily for payment, transit and access applications, SECORA Connect X is a fast solution to enable secured NFC use cases. Infineon is supporting several smart ring manufacturers with this special design to integrate payment and NFC wireless charging into ultra-small devices using only one single NFC antenna for both functions.
