EXPERIMENT
Ringo© Universal Access Wearable
A ring for transit, home access, and digital identity all in one.
3D
Printed
RFID & NFC
Contactless Technology
Product: Ringo©
Slogan: Wear it and go!
Tools: Autodesk Fusion
Printer: Elegoo Mars 5
Industry: Consumer Product Design
Status: Prototyping and production
Role: UX Designer, Product & Industrial Designer
Technology: NFC and RFID integration
Material: Photopolymer Resin
Background
As a UX designer I am constantly looking for ways to improve experiences, even beyond screens. We live in a highly tech world, yet everyday access remains fragmented across multiple systems. People carry several cards, fobs, keys, and passes, even though most run on the same RFID and NFC technology. In my own wallet I carry more than ten cards, two fobs, keys, and a transit pass.
Digital wallets exist, but companies are cautious about storing secure access online, and users often prefer physical credentials for control and privacy. The result is convenience lost to clutter, weight, and unnecessary redundancy.
Problem
The issue is not the technology itself, but the experience built around it. Access works, but it is not designed for simplicity or wearability. We move through the world switching between cards, tapping fobs, pulling out keys, and presenting identity separately. None of these objects were designed to coexist as one seamless interaction.
The problem became a design opportunity. How might access become invisible, something you do rather than something you handle? What if the user did not carry access but wore it?
UX Research & Observation
I began by observing how people around me handled their cards and fobs. Men often stacked everything into wallets, while many women used phone cases with card slots for convenience. Different habits, same outcome. Everyone carried multiple items for functions that could exist in a single object.
TransLink already offers a contactless wristband, which showed me the potential for wearables in this space. However, it only supports transit access, and its bright color and low cost materials make it feel more functional than fashionable. It solves one access point, not all of them, and does not fit a wide range of personal styles or preferences.
Solution: All in one
Ringo© began after diving deep into contactless technology and discovering that multiple access systems could be unified into a single wearable. The ring integrates three separate chips in one form: a TransLink Compass card*, a custom NFC tag, and a low frequency RFID fob.
Together, these allow access to elevators, parking gates, residential buildings, transit systems, and even enable digital contact sharing like a business card. One ring, three technologies, endless possibilities.
Design Process
Designing Ringo© was far from simple. It required nearly two months of development and around five iterations to achieve the precision and fit needed. Each version improved tolerance, comfort, and signal performance.
I also researched and sourced RFID and NFC components legally, and developed a safe method to extract and embed them inside the ring. This allowed multiple access systems to function together in one compact wearable.
Autodesk Fusion
Ringo© would not have been possible without Autodesk Fusion. The project demanded precision at a scale most tools struggle to support. Some internal walls are less than 0.05 mm thick, tolerance must remain stable under wear, and the cavity geometry must protect fragile RFID parts while allowing signal transmission. Fusion enabled that level of control without slowing creativity.
As a designer, I value tools that remove friction. I explored other platforms such as Blender, SketchUp, and SolidWorks yet none delivered the precision and modeling quality I needed. Fusion did. It allowed ideas to evolve fluidly, see below the print exploration comparing model quality between Blender and Fusion:
Blender 3D Printed Model
Fusion 3D Printed Model
Clean STL Model from Fusion
Unified workflow
Fusion became more than software. It became part of the design process. Features such as sketch constraints, timeline editing, shelling, filleting, boolean operations, and body management enabled me to iterate quickly, test variants, and refine usability through form. Five iterations later, the ring existed not just as a concept, but as a manufacturable product I can sell myself.
Below is a simplified view of the modelling workflow used to shape Ringo’s geometry in Fusion. The internal assembly cannot be shown due to patents, but the form development illustrates how design and engineering can coexist within one interface.
3D Printing & Handcrafting
A clean Fusion export made the printing stage efficient and reliable. The Elegoo Mars 5 handled the geometry with precision, producing smooth resin shells that captured detail with very little error. Because of that, most of the effort went into refinement rather than fixing flaws.
Once printed and cured, the project shifted from digital to physical craft. I used traditional jewelry techniques to sand, shape, and polish the ring until the surface felt glossy and wearable.
*TransLink does not allow modifying its contactless cards. This case study is purely a creative demonstration with no commercial intent.
Final Design
The ring has a clean minimal look that can be modified later, but for now it remains simple and unisex. Its capabilities depend on what each person needs. In this version, one chip can be read by elevator RFID readers and the second chip allows the public transportation feature to work just like the original wristband.
Real World Test
Ringo© is fully functional and ready for daily use. In the videos below you can see the ring opening residential doors, activating elevators and accessing transit gates* with a single tap. No cards, no fobs, no wallet search. A gesture of the hand replaces a pocket full of access devices. This is access worn rather than carried, fast and seamless in real environments rather than controlled tests.
Ringo© is an original project designed and invented by Robinson Marroquin. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited.
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*TransLink does not permit modifications to their contactless cards. This case study demonstrates product and creative capabilities only and has no commercial intent regarding that feature.