Lucie Davis, a jewellery design student at UK art college Central Saint Martins, has created false nails that are fitted with the chip of an Oyster card, the contactless card used to enter London’s public transit system. Her design would eliminate the need to search for the cards, allowing commuters to simply swipe their hands to navigate through stations or add value to their accounts.
“I’ve been able to challenge the conventions of jewellery and create a collection of pieces which bring to life daily rituals such as commuting,” Davis told the Innovation Group. “I wanted to create a wearable which is light-hearted, playful yet fashionable, and also stimulates our senses.”
With the wearables market expected to hit almost $6 billion by 2018, designs like Davis’s are part of a lucrative and growing business. As a general rule, Transport for London prohibits commuters from taking apart travel cards, but Davis says she is in talks with the agency about using her product in the future.