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.

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.

The latest nail fashion trend?

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.

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

Matthew Griffin, described as a "Walking encyclopaedia of the future" by NASA and a futurist polymath, is one of the world's most renowned futurists and strategic foresight experts. A serial entrepreneur Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working across the next 50 years, XPotential University, the world's first free futures and foresight university, and the World Futures Forum which works with the United Nations to solve the worlds greatest challenges. 13 times author of the Codex of the Future series, Matthew is an in demand international keynote, acclaimed university lecturer, and host of the hit Fanatical Futurist podcast.

A rare talent in his past Matthew helped build and run several multi-billion dollar business units for Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, and his 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, G7, G20, and G77+ governments, and many of the world's most respected brands including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi Group, Coca Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Disney, EY, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Pepsi Co, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, and many others. He was also the only futurist invited to talk at the UN COP28 held in Dubai alongside world leaders.

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