Benjamin Hubert of experience design agency Layer has launched Trove, a digital wallet and app in collaboration with fintech start-up, Trove. Currently in the prototype stage, Trove is a form of unhackable, unloseable cryptocurrency storage. Trove is made up of three parts – Coin, Keep, Safe, and the Trove app. Used together, the Trove system offers a safer, more reliable way to store and use cryptocurrencies every day.
The Trove Coin is a 3mm x 20mm aluminum wearable device that, like a regular wallet, is a way to store currency for daily use spending and trading.
The Coin stores cryptocurrency off-line on the hardware – rather than online – meaning it is less susceptible to hackers. Users unlock the Coin using their ECG signature – a biometric method of verification that recognizes a user’s unique heartbeat pattern – by touching the contact zone on the front. This activates the Bluetooth, which communicates with the user’s smartphone and allows funds to be accessed. Unlike other cryptocurrency wallets, which rely on complex password systems, it is impossible to lose or forget the authentication for Coin.
“Researchers speculate that 35 percent of all bitcoins have been lost due to irrecoverable passwords,” said Layer. “As the security of bitcoin is based on complex private keys that allow the transfer of funds, once the private key is lost, it is extremely improbable that lost coins can be recovered.”
“This system is much simpler than existing systems that require complex password recovery systems or the need to print multiple pages of unique cryptographic hashes,” it added.
Coin is available in two materials – black aerated aluminum and silver anodized aluminum. The device is stored in Keep, a tactile volcanic rock and polycarbonate container – which is powered by a USB-C port and inductively charges the Coin. The Trove Coin is designed to fit a user’s personal style. It magnetically attaches to three different accessories – wristband, neck pendant, or brooch. The user has the option to openly display the Coin as a fashion accessory, or wear it in a more discreet manner.
The Trove wristband is an adjustable band made from a variety of Kvadrat textiles onto which the Coin magnetically attaches. The Trove necklace is a unisex cord necklace with an adjustable metal loop and a minimal pendant onto which the Coin magnetically attaches. The necklace can be reversed to hide the Coin and interchangeable decorative fascias – made from terrazzo, acrylic, or foamed ceramic – can be fitted over the pendant.
The Trove Coin clip is a simple magnetic backing that transforms the Coin itself into a brooch-like accessory.
Trove Coin pairs with Safe, a discreet personal home bank protected by ECG verification. While Coin stores currency for daily use, Safe holds your decentralized personal wealth at home. It is designed to look like a wall tile that can be easily installed, like any other wall tile, so it is hiding in plain sight.
Like the Coin, Safe is an off-line cryptocurrency wallet, which only goes online when biometrically authorized to transfer funds. In this way, it is protected from hackers and password loss.
The Trove app provides the interface for the whole system. Users can keep track of their spending history, monitor how the value of the currency changes over time, and compare the performance of different cryptocurrencies.
The app also comes with a tracking function to let users know exactly where their Coin is at all times, as well as an AI financial advisor.