A ring that allows phone users to use their device through a finger is to hit the market early next year.
The Orii ring allows people to handle calls, text messages and interact with a phone's digital assistant by putting a finger to their ear all by transferring sound to a through bone conduction.
The ring, designed by Hong Kong-based start-up Origami Labs, was inspired by Peter Wong, the visually impaired father of the firm's co-founder Kevin Wong.
"As a visual-impaired person, I rely on the software on the smartphone to read the icons, the texts to me," said Peter Wong, who is a technical adviser for the ring.
A key feature ensures that only the user can hear the information conveyed by the ring.
"Can you imagine it reading out your password? That's inconvenient and inappropriate," Peter Wong said.
What began as a Kickstarter project has become the latest example of wearable, screen-free technology.
"We want to keep our heads up, we want to be able to stay more in the moment," said Kevin Wong, 29, who set up Origami Labs in November 2015 with three friends from university.
The tech wearable market grew 51 per cent in Asia last year, according to consumer research firm GfK.
The overall industry is expected to be worth $US34 billion globally by 2020, research provider CCS Insight has said.
The Orii ring is expected to reach the commercial market by February.
