Toronto’s Bionym Launches The Nymi and Uses Your Unique Heartbeat to Unlock Your World

Today Toronto’s Bionym launched the next generation of biometric technology launches today with the Nymi. The Nymi is a biometric technology wristband that reads heart rhythms to connect with devices for identity authentication.

According to Bionym’s press release this morning, the Nymi is the “world’s first wearable authentication device that uses your unique heartbeat to unlock your identity” through an embedded electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor.

When the Nymi recognizes your personal ECG, it communicates your identity to your devices. The activated Nymi can be used to access to all registered devices, completely bypassing passwords and PINs for seamless and secure access.

The Nymi functions as a three-factor security system. It requires your personalized Nymi, your unique heartbeat, and a smartphone or device that has been registered to the app. This system allows for complete security without compromising convenience. Users have the ability to create custom notifications, allowing for seamless connection to emails, texts, social updates and more. The app will be available on iOS, Android, Windows and Mac OSX.

“When it comes to identity, privacy is a chief concern,” said Karl Martin, CEO of Bionym, “The Nymi has been built by the principles of Privacy by Design. This means that each user has complete control over their data and identity. Transparency is very important to Bionym’s culture, and every user has a right to know where their data is going.”

The Nymi will be available for pre‐order for $79 USD as an exclusive pre-order price, with worldwide shipping at a flat rate of $10 USD. Orders will be limited to four wristbands per customer. After the first run of 25,000 units is sold out, the price will switch to $99. The first run units will ship in early 2014.

Bionym is funded by Nigel Stokes, Dennis Bennie, Relay Ventures, Lee Lau, Greg Wolfond (Kili Corp), Dan Debow, Erik Lithopoulos, Nick Koudas, Nilesh Bansal, and Ajay Agrawal.