Page 133 - AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report 2016

2.6. Wearables and payment wristbandsWearables are a technology which, although based on a simple concept, is undoubtedly here to stay for quite some time at least and will broaden or bring new possibilities of performing certain tasks.Wearables are basically devices that users actually wear as opposed to having to hold them (as with mobiles). They mostly take the form of ‘analogue wearables’ such as wristwatches or decorative wristbands, glasses, clothing... They can have many types of functions, some highly speci c.Perhaps those that are most familiar today are the so-called smartwatches, which can perform many functions or, at the least, connect to the user’s smartphone (they can send SMS, allow you to see and answer calls, view the time, view inbox noti cations...). Others perform more speci c and exclusive functions such as measuring and quantifying our physical exercise or heartbeat and heartrate.In the eld of festivals, wearables are proving to be useful tools for improving attendees’ experience and for managing various aspects at particularly critical times, such as selling drinks during a crowded concert or validating tickets. In other words, wearables are gaining ground at festivals, where they facilitate processes rather than create new sensory experiences or provide information.The prevalent technological system at many music festivals is RFID (Radio Frequency Identi cation) wristbands. RFID technology usually consists of small devices used to store and read data (normally an identity) through wireless transmission. Many everyday objects already incorporate this technology, such as bank cards or electronic ID cards (the golden chip). It is commonly employed in warehouses for inventory management, for example, but has very many other applications.The wristbands that are catching on in Spain are the payment type, in accordance with the concept of ‘cashless’. They are based on the idea of creating a means of speeding up the payment processes that can be required at a festival, especially the music type, for example for purchasing merchandise, drinks and cold snacks.This technological concept is part of a trend known as Virtual or Digital Wallet.51 It involves electronic or digital processes and systems that make it possible for all kinds of products to be paid for online. They can range from payment platforms such as PayPal to the use of mobiles for payment using contactless technologies or NFC (Near Field Communication, the category RFID comes under).This payment and transaction method requires three elements, which are listed below to help readers understand the wristbands cited here as examples: a designed system or electronic or digital infrastructure, a programme or software, and speci c devices (in this case the wristbands). One of the rst festivals to go in for this system was the Low Festival (Benidorm indie music) in 2014, for which it was awarded a FEST prize in the Most technological festival category in 2014 and again in 2015.52The online payment system PayPal was the rst to test it at a real event and chose this festival,53 but exclusively for the VIP zones (involving some 3,500 people in all). In the experiment festival goers with access to these areas did not need to carry credit cards or cash (in other words, there was no need for them to take a wallet/purseAC/E DIGITAL CULTURE ANNUAL REPORT 2016133