Short-Range Communication for Increased Safety

The technology behind the Twiceme solution, Near Field Communication (NFC), has been around for quite some time. However, it isn’t until now that it has gained momentum as a widespread and household technology. This has been adopted by key players in the field, as recent strides forward have opened all NFC functionalities to Apple’s iPhones as well as Android smartphone makers. The technology is therefore introduced for the first time to a truly global public, which enables third-party integrations to reach the status of a global standard, which is what we are aiming for at Twiceme Technology. Let’s dive deeper into the power of NFC connectivity and why it is the perfect solution for Twiceme Technology.

Strong Demand for Easily Accessible Vital Information

On our missions as military professionals, we have witnessed emergencies where vital information about a person could have resulted in saved lives. By having such info available when seconds matter, higher efficiency with reduced lead times could have been created in the rescue operations. With that experience in mind, we wanted to develop a concept that could help not only military personnel but also people in dangerous working environments or people pursuing their adventures on the ski slopes, on the saddle, or when biking. The result was the concept of “Twiceme” - to always have a “second me”. The challenge was to find a reliable technology that fulfilled the crucial performance requirements.

Vital Info Anywhere, at Any Time, by Anyone

From the very beginning, our vision was to create a user-friendly solution based on future technology where the first person on the scene of an accident or first responders could access the info and thereby be of help. We chose a technical solution that is based on Near Field Communication (NFC). The technology was invented already in 2002 but when we started in 2016, NFC was still in its infancy in terms of consumer knowledge. Even though Android smartphones have had NFC functionalities since 2010, the real change came in 2019 when Apple also opened up all the NFC functionalities for third-party developers. Along with the rise of Apple Pay, NFC is really starting to gain widespread consumer knowledge.

We Have Chosen NFC Technology for Twiceme Based on a Few Bets

1. Ownership and usage of NFC-enabled smartphones will dramatically increase in the near future
2. NFC through our smartphones will soon be a part of our everyday lives when we pay, unlock cars and homes, access information, etc.
3. People will take greater care before uploading their personal information to a database/cloud due to privacy concerns. Therefore, we have chosen NFC which stores the information locally (not in the cloud)
4. Ingredient brands that focus on safety will, to a larger extent, increase safety innovation due to awareness by the upcoming generations of consumers

How Twiceme caters to these bets

Being born in the military, the Twiceme solution had to be offline and available only for short-distance reading to provide a wide range of information and perform at a high level, every time. These are the original principles on which the device is built. The NFC technology meets these requirements perfectly. Firstly, it works by induction through the magnetic field of the smartphone which allows the device to be completely inactive until pinged by a phone. This happens at a short distance and makes it extremely difficult to “hijack” information. Secondly, the device has a memory unit that allows all the necessary information to be uploaded to the device. Lastly, we have a supplier that produces the highest quality component that lasts for half of a million of reads, which ensures performance over a very long time.

A Technology That Is Here to Stay

Looking towards the future, we strongly believe that NFC will be a household technology used for applications ranging from locking houses or paying at the grocery store, to unlocking your car or accessing vital information about a person in the event of an accident. There are constantly new developments taking place within the field and every year, large strides forward are taken which will put the NFC technology in a winning position for the future.

Our vision is to help as many people as possible in emergency situations and ultimately save lives. This can be achieved through our mission of being a global standard of the vital info that can be easily accessed. The NFC functionality enables time savings and efficiency in rescue operations for both first people on the scene as well as ambulance and rescue professionals. The spread and wider usage of the technology will help push us towards this goal at an increasing pace.