Futuristic Dubai nail salon turns your nails into digital storage devices

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By Matthew Griffin Computing 2nd May 2021

WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

As compute and storage gets smaller people will find all kinds of new use cases for them …

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Dubai is truly the land of man-made wonders. The country is dripping in novelty and captivating the world with its contributions from all walks of life, from its flying taxis and 3D printed buildings, to its skyscrapers and robocops. And now, to add to their tally, a local nail bar has introduced a new novelty – a high-tech smart nail microchip manicure.

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While the world was obsessing over a bizarre coronavirus-inspired nail art trend, Lanour Beauty Lounge in Dubai World Trade Centre is wowing clients with their Smart Nail manicure. Trust Dubai to give you the feel of living in 2050 when the rest of the world is busy grunting on the adversity that was the year 2020.

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The futuristic manicure involves placing a teensy microchip on top of your fingernail, which is then covered and secured with a layer of glitter nail polish. How does this work or benefit its user? According to the Lanour Beauty Lounge, the chip uses Near-Field Communication (NFC), a short-range wireless technology that makes smartphones, tablets, wearables, payment cards, and other devices even smarter. Meaning, a simple tap of your chip-bearing, the manicured-to-perfection finger will transfer personal data such as your WhatsApp details, a digital business card, or your Instagram handle within seconds.

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The chip is also completely safe as it is a passive device which means it cannot be tracked and can only be read in close proximity of 1-2cm, so there is no fear of data being hacked or stolen, alledgedly.

Of course, the capacity to store data in the chip is quite small for now. Still, CEO Nour Nakarem is hopeful that with technological advancements, this idea can be developed to the point where people can tap to pay for bills, share menus, and circulate information. The Smart Nail starts at only AED 250 (roughly $70) for the first application, which lasts up to three weeks.

Matthew Griffin / About Author

Described by NASA as a "Walking Encyclopaedia of the Future" and one of the world’s most in demand keynote speakers Matthew Griffin, Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm, is a multi-award winning Futurist and strategic foresight expert, author, lecturer, mentor, podcast and YouTube host.

With a distinguished career running global business units at Atos, EMC, and IBM today Matthew helps leaders and titans of industry from all over the world explore the impact of the inter sections of technology, culture, and leadership, then helps them create high performance organisations that can continuously disrupt, outpace, and outthink their competition.

15 times author of the hit series the Codex of the Future series Matthew's ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends on global business, culture, and society has earned him a powerful reputation and a roster of clients that include royal households, world leaders across the G7, G20, and G77, and many of the world's most recognised and exceptional organisations including ABB, Accenture, ABN Amro, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi Group, Coca Cola, Deloitte, Dentons, Disney, Dow, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Microsoft, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Nokia, Paramount, PepsiCo, PWC, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, T-Mobile, UBS, Visa, WIRED, WPP and hundreds of others.

Matthew is regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, and his mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.