San Francisco digital identity startup Proxy has announced it’s acquiring smart ring maker Motiv.

Although initially a ring-sized fitness tracker, the Motiv Ring has added various other capabilities over the years including biometric gait recognition via its WalkID system, and a form of FIDO-certified two-factor authentication in which the wearer performs simple gestures while logging into a supported account. It also supports NFC payments, and lost phone tracking.

“The demand for our technology is only going to increase and we saw a clear path forward in the importance of validating one’s identity in both the physical and digital worlds,” wrote Motiv in a blog post. “Keys, access cards and passwords are rapidly being replaced with a biometric identity which provides greatly improved security and convenience.”

As a result of being acquired by Proxy, Motiv will cease online sales of its devices, with support for its companion app likely lasting as long as it takes for partner retailers to sell off their remaining stock.

However, so far Proxy has said that it is committed to the ring form factor as the future of wearable tech.

“With this acquisition, Proxy plans to bring digital identity signals to smart rings for the first time and revolutionize the way people use technology to interact with the world around them,” said Proxy on their own blog. “We believe it’s possible to ignite a paradigm shift in how people use wearables to interface with the physical world, so they can do and experience things they never have before.”

Source: TechCrunch