Ring Clock: A Ring That Gives You Time On Your Hands

Hey Guys,
Full disclosure.... I didn't write a WORD of this article about Ring Clock! I mean, I'm writhing this part... now... right here. But thats it! This is all of the information from their Indiegogo Campaign, and I didn't want to muddle anything. This is a killer concept and I wanted to share this vision with you guys. I would also like to review one when they become available. I will keep you posted on that front. In the mean time, check out all of this awesomnes that Ring Clock is getting ready to drop on the unsuspecting people of Plant Earth. And show them some love here RingClock on Indiegogo

Ring Clock background

This award winning time piece was designed by Gusztav Szikszai two years ago and when the initial pictures were posted online there was a lot of interest with many people in various forums asking how they could get hold of one.



Design from 2011



Since then we have been fine tuning the design and technology so that we could deliver the best quality product and building the right team to bring this to market. We are pleased to say that within the timescales below we believe that we can now answer the calls and produce this with your support.
The goal of our Ring Clock project:

• simple and clean design
• unique clock aspect around the ring’s band
• eco-friendly and playful - the time is displayed when you rotate the ring
• cutting edge technology (wireless charge, ultrathin battery, energy-saving LEDs)

Ring Clock as part of everyday life

There won't be party where you do not get asked by somebody to show off this beautiful gadget. Whenever you need to know the time just spin the ring and you will see the time....and others will see it too!
Ring Clock can improve your sense of time too. How about trying to predict the time before you rotate the ring? It sounds silly but we bet that you will play along with us at some point!
It is also very green with no wasted energy because in real time, when you want, it shows the time. Our next dream is that rotation kinetic energy will give the power to the LED lights meaning that the next version of Ring Clock can be entirely green. If we achieve significant support we will start to work on this dream earlier.

Design inspiration from Gusztav

“It started with a challenge 2 years ago at CGSociety.org named Moving Innovation. The idea was to create visualisation for a product that cannot exist today, but could exist 10 years from now. I wanted to create something that is innovative, good to look at and can actually be useful. I never wore a watch on my wrist because I don't like the feeling, but I like watches in general, so I used that opportunity to let my mind come up with something that I could wear, the Ring Clock.”
We had to change some things on the original design for the feasibility, because technology has not been able to catch up with Guszti’s dreams in the past 2 years!

Specification of prototype

• Ring body material: 316L surgical stainless steel (allergy free)
• Light source: 144 energy safe ultrathin mono-color LED
• Light color: blue or orange LED (optional)
• Lighting time: 1 minute time display after the ring rotation
• Battery specs: 6mAh, ultrathin rechargeable lithium polymer battery
• Running time: 1 week with normal use (15 times activation per days) or 2 hours constant use.
• Battery lifetime: 3 years (battery is not replaceable)
• Charger: Qi wireless power charger pad (with universal 110-240 AC DC USB charger)
• Charging time: max. 2 hours
• Time setting: by the setting buttons on the Qi charger pad
• Water-resistant 

Ring Clock dimensions:

• Width: 14 mm (0.551 in)
• Thickness: 3-3.5 mm (0.118-0.134 in)
• Size table: 

Project timeline and budget

Our status as at Aug 2013: 
In the last 4 months we have finished the conceptual model and made some small design changes for feasibility. We have contacted with the potential suppliers: ring turner, micro laser cutter, flexible circuit board manufacturer, battery manufacturer, resin and antibacterial nanotechnology specialist.
We have prepared schematic diagrams and layouts for the prototype board (in 1:1 scale). Printed Circuit Board manufacturing and component purchasing are ongoing. We have  produced 36 ring bodies from 316L stainless steel for prototypes, the micro laser cutting with 30 micron cutting edge is ongoing (see the pictures below).














Project plan:

• Aug-Oct 2013: prototype building (electrical and mechanical)
• Nov-Dec 2013: prototype testing and finishing
• Jan-March 2014: first batch goes into production
• Apr 2014: first batch ready for delivery
• Apr-Jun 2014: second batch goes into production
• Jul 2014: second batch ready for delivery

One third of the funding will be needed to build the prototypes and two thirds will be spent on manufacturing the finished article.

Team

We set up an international team for this project and established a UK limited company. The communication all carried out from the UK, whilst the engineering and production planning are in Hungary.

• Mark Blair: communication (UK)
• Gusztav Szikszai: design (Hungary)
• Sandor Somos: project management (Hungary) - linkedin profile
• Csaba Albert: electrical engineering (Hungary)
• Janos Mendler: mechanical engineering (Hungary)

The production will be implemented by carefully selected third party suppliers.
(Our Laser microprocessing partner is Exasol Ltd.)

Perks

Risks and challenges
Our commitment to the Contributors:

• we will continually inform our Contributors about the progress that we are making 
• this will include delivery times updates - especially if we are ahead of plan! 
• we will be transparent with all of the results, unexpected issues and how we plan to resolve them

Prototype: Our conceptual model is based on available smart technologies and standards, so we know that it will work, but our challenge is to make sure that it works in the confined space within the inside of a ring! We will build more than 20 working prototypes and test them in extreme environments in order to produce the best product from your support. Once again updates will be provided throughout this process.
Manufacturing: As you can imagine we have to use the smallest, ultra-thin technologies available. Our chosen manufacturer will be involved in the prototype phase so they will know our product in the embryonic stage.
Delivery time: We have built in some contingency time during the prototype and manufacturing stage to ensure that we can meet the deadlines outlined above. We will inform you immediately if we need more time or of course if we are ahead of schedule.
Please help to support us and then just wear and enjoy every minute of this wonderful gadget! THANK YOU!

Frequently Asked Questions

1, Battery Life / What happens to the ring once the battery has reached the end of its lifetime (expected to be 3 years)?

We will integrate a non-standard size ultrathin rechargeable lithium polymer battery into the Ring Clock. The electronics will be within resin for water resistance. Ring Clock is an electronic gadget with a lot of electronic parts, so the life expectancy is based on our expectations similar to other electronic devices such as a mobile phone. The procurement of components will be an important aspect of life expectancy, but we can not promise more than the parts manufacturers. We hope in the next 3 years there will be a Ring Clock 2.0 with rotational kinetic power supply and therefore a longer life expectancy. We understand your request and we will investigate the replaceable battery, but we cannot make any promises at this stage.

2, Water Resistant / Can I wash my hands wearing it or do I have to remove it prior to washing my hands?

We are currently researching what would be the best solution and have been in communication with a resin and nanotechnology specialist to find out about the current technology. As you will appreciate however we have to test this before we make big promises although we are hoping that it will be WR 100M (Suitable for recreational surfing, swimming, snorkelling, sailing and water sports -wiki) although of course we cannot promise this high level WR at this moment in time.

3, Warranty / What is the warranty period and how will it be handled for international customers?

The warranty offered for Ring Clock is 1 year. It is expected that the customer will send back the ring clock to us at their own expense, we will review it and if it is not abnormal usage then it will be replaced and it will be delivered free of charge. The warranty is not applicable to cases other than defects in material, design and workmanship.

4, Ring size and colour / When will you need my ringsize and colour?

Once the campaign has been successful we will contact you in November 2013 to ask you for your ring size and LED colour choice. We will also send you emails about important events, and we also plan to upgrade our site where you will have a private account (we will send you details on e-mail) and you can add your ring size, colour and change your address if it needs to be changed.

5, Shipping cost / I just funded this, and I forgot to add 15$ shipping, what should I do?

Contribute a further $15 with the same e-mail address so we know it is your shipping cost.

6, Ring Clock function / Are Hours, Minutes and Seconds able to rotate independently of each other or They are on the same ring?

The hours, minutes and seconds are on the same outer ring. The inner ring is the one that is in contact with your finger. The outer ring rotation activates the
LED's and you can see the time around the ring. Sometimes you see the hours and minutes close to each other (e.g. 13:30) and sometimes you will have to rotate more, because the hour and minute are far away from each other (e.g. 13:55).

The original concept and design from 2011 was that the hours, minutes and seconds would be on separate rings, they rotate individually and automatically however this has proved impossible to manufacture at this moment in time.