“…Motiv says that it will soon enable FIDO2-compliant authentication, allowing users to take advantage of the same functionality to sign into online accounts through popular web browsers.”

A major software upgrade has made a fitness-tracking wearable into a sophisticated authentication device.

Called the Motiv Ring, it is, as you might expect, a finger ring, albeit a high-tech one. In its previous iteration, it was aimed primarily at fitness tracking; but the company behind it, Motiv, has now announced new silver, black, and rose gold finishes for the wearable and, more importantly, major new security features. For one thing, it can be used for FIDO Certified two-factor authentication, with users performing a simple gesture while logging into a supported account. And Motiv says that it will soon enable FIDO2-compliant authentication, allowing users to take advantage of the same functionality to sign into online accounts through popular web browsers.

The device also supports a new biometric authentication system based on gait analysis. Called WalkID, this system can operate as long as the user is wearing the device and walking, allowing for continuous, passive authentication. And fingerprint and facial recognition through a paired smartphone will further extend the biometric authentication security of the Motiv Ring, Motiv says.

All of this is poised to turn the Motiv Ring into much more than a simple fitness-tracking device, and given the unobtrusiveness of a ring, it could be one of the first wearable authentication devices to really catch on with consumers. At the very least, the Motiv Ring will further extend the reach of FIDO’s authentication standards, and of strong, post-password authentication on the web.