A company has announced a touch and gesture control technology made specifically for smart rings, which could help add tap and swipe controls to future models.
UltraTouch RG1
Credit: UltraSense Systems
The technology is called UltraTouch RG1, it comes from a company called UltraSense Systems, and has been built around its proprietary Ultrasound Intelligent Platform.
The UltraTouch RG1 is designed to work with metal and ceramic smart rings, and enables a series of gestures which could activate features or control other devices.
For example, you could use tap, slide, and press gestures, or even a combination of several actions on an RG1-enabled smart ring. These controls may connect to a pair of smartglasses, your phone, or even your car. It’s an unobtrusive, privacy-first control method.
Crucially, these gestures do not need hardware buttons, require glass or another material to be integrated into the case, or even breaks in the smart ring’s surface.
Solving problems
Why is this intriguing? The Halliday smartglasses come with a smart ring to control the display, and while the concept is great, the smart ring has a physical button which is awkward to press, and the touch sensitive panel is unreliable. The smart ring is also quite big.
If the UltraTouch RG1 gets rid of the button and improves touch response, it would be a big step forward compared to existing solutions. UltraSense CEO Mo Maghsoudnia said in the press release:
Successful scaling of smart rings requires both premium materials and a truly intuitive interface. UltraSense has proven this model in smartphones and automotive applications, where ultrasound has enabled reliable touch on metal at massive scale. UltraTouch RG1 now brings that same reliability and elegance to wearables.
What smartphones?
While the RG1 is all about wearables, automotive seems to have been UltraSense’s main focus until now, plus the company has worked on mobile systems in the past too. Its website mentions touch-sensitive buttons, shoulder buttons, and other controls for phones, earbuds, and smartwatches.
UltraSense Systems has been experimenting with ultrasound technology for years, and early on promoted its button-less control system as a way to make devices more water-resistant and to simplify manufacturing.
In one interview, UltraSense Systems co-founder Daniel Goehl said its sensor had been integrated into an LG Mobile smartphone. The only reference which seems to exist for which model is a CES 2023 report from UltraSense, mentioning the LG Velvet 2. The phone was never released due to LG’s exit from the smartphone market.
When will the tech arrive?
The announcement of the UltraTouch RG1 does not include any reference to when we may see the technology in a consumer smart ring.
However, it coincides with reports about the increased attention around smartglasses, which are set for a breakout year in 2026 according to industry experts. Manufacturers will be looking for ways to make products stand out, and to improve control systems on more complex models.
Additionally, Oura has been linked with a patent for smartglasses, which integrate with a smart ring, showing brands are looking at ways to make smartglasses and smart rings work together. Meta chose a wrist band to help control the Meta Ray-Ban Display smartglasses.
Android Police has contacted UltraSense Systems to understand when we may see the UltraTouch RG1 integrated into a smart ring, and will update when we hear more.
