Two undergraduate students at MIT has created the 3D-printed “Sesame Ring” to replace Boston’s transit card, the Charlie Card, after they became frustrated at constantly losing their passes at the bottom of their bags.
“Having missed the train many times while fishing for our Charlie Cards (smart cards used for public transportation in Massachusetts), we looked for a solution in wearable technology. After months of hard work, we created the 3D-printed Sesame Ring, supported by the MBTA,” writes the duo. “Now, you can walk right up to the gantry, use scientifically approved magic, and scoot on through!”
The 3D printed ring is waterproof and contains an embedded RFID tag that you can simply tap against Charlie Card readers. It works like the Charlie Card as well, that you just load the ring with money and tap it to a RFID-based fare reader to get through. The technology was approved by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) – “MBTA officials have expressed their support of the project, and provided us with the materials and technology necessary to launch this Kickstarter.” noted Edward Tiong, one of the project’s creators.
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