Discover Scrip, the Tangible Future of Digital Cash

Imagine a world where you can feel the weight of your digital purchases. Where spending virtual currency is not anymore about tapping a “Confirm and Pay” on-screen button, but requires you to take out a physical device, just as you used to do with your wallet not so long ago. That world is here now.

Scrip, a product concept from studio NewDealDesign (NDD), is something sleek, science-fiction-like and definitely unique.

In a world where companies like Apple are working hard to make financial transactions as close to invisible as possible, NDD is imagining a future where every purchase is a literally weighty decision.

Made of copper, smooth on the bottom and stippled on top, Scrip has a tiny numerical screen at one end.The tiny bumps on top would act like a braille display, going up and down to modify the requested amount.

Upon purchasing something, you would point the device at an NFC payment terminal, then swipe your thumb across its surface.

 For a £28 charge, for example, you’d swipe once across a 20, once across a 5, and thrice across a 1. The cost would be automatically deducted from a connected online wallet, which balance you could check by long-pressing a button.

The device would also have an option to lock itself if it got too far from a connected phone.

The idea behind Scrip is that of a half-digital, half-analog wallet designed to make it painful to spend money again.

The  tiny actuators that ripple under your fingers would remind your subconscious about the ache of parting with real money rather than shapeless credit.

Scrip is still little more than a concept, and therefore it doesn’t have a price yet. However, in an era of virtually-unlimited online spending, a physical device reminding us of money’s weight could prove more than a little useful.

What do you think of Scrip? Would you buy it? Let us know in the comments below.