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A wide range of voice-based devices have emerged, aimed at companionship, productivity, or personal growth. These devices include a card format Anthem and pocket; Pendants from friend, No limitsand Obedient; And a bracelet from beeWhich is now part of Amazon.
Now, two former Meta employees who worked on the interface design have been fired Sandbara startup that created a loop called Stream for similar purposes. The company calls the Ring an “audio mouse” because it can take notes, help you interact with an AI assistant, and let you control music.
Sandbar CEO, Mina Fahmy, has an extensive background in designing human-computer interfaces. He worked at Bryan Johnson’s Kernel company, then at smart glasses startup Magic Leap. Kirak Hong, CTO at Sandbar, worked at Google before joining CTRL-Labs, where the pair met. dead I got a startup in 2019, and her work eventually led to the creation of neural interfaces for the tech giant’s smart wearables.
Fahmy said that when large language models started emerging a few years ago, he built an experimental diary app. However, he found that the app became a barrier to capturing his ideas. Given his experience building hardware interfaces, he began exploring the conversational hardware interface instead.
“A lot of my ideas flow when I’m walking or when I’m moving around, and I don’t want to pull out my phone to interrupt that moment,” Fahmi told TechCrunch in an interview. “I don’t want to be screaming into my earbuds where the world can hear me talking about an idea. Kirak and I were trying to understand what it takes to actually capture an idea the moment an idea pops up. That’s how we came up with Stream.”
The ring, designed to be worn on the index finger of your dominant hand, contains microphones and a touchpad.
In a virtual demonstration, Fahmy wore a Stream ring on his index finger and recorded his thoughts by pressing and holding the touchpad. By default, the microphone is turned off, and is only activated with this gesture. The microphone proved sensitive enough to pick up whispers and record them in the companion iOS app. Likewise, other apps like Wispr Flow and Willow allow people to quietly capture their thoughts.
The Stream app includes an AI chatbot that talks to you while recording your thoughts. You can organize them into separate notes that you or the AI can edit. The app also lets you pinch to zoom out and review what you’ve discussed over the course of days or weeks. Sandbar has added a customization layer so that the assistant’s voice sounds somewhat similar to the user’s voice.
Fahmy said that in crowded places, users can wear headphones to talk privately with the assistant. Without headphones, the Ring provides haptic feedback when you successfully record a note, allowing you to quietly add tasks, take notes, or check off items on your grocery list.
In addition to audio functions, the flat surface of the ring can be used as a media controller, allowing you to play, pause, skip tracks and adjust the volume. While many headphones offer similar controls, a loop can come in handy when your hands are busy or you’re on the go.
The company is opening pre-orders for the Stream on Wednesday at $249 for the silver version and $299 for the gold version. Sandbar aims to start shipping next summer. The Pro subscription tier — free for three months for those who pre-order, then $10 per month — provides unlimited chats, notes, and early access to new features.
Fahmy said the company gives users full control over their data at any level, with encryption at rest and in transit. He added that Sandbar doesn’t believe in walled gardens and plans to support exporting data to apps like Notion.
Sandbar has raised $13 million in funding from True Ventures, Upfront Ventures, and Betaworks.
Tony Schneider, a partner at True Ventures, said he was skeptical of AI hardware because the demos he saw before Stream weren’t impressive.
“I think a lot of people agree that voice and AI go well together. And (they also agree) that having a phone or even a laptop to interact with AI is a pretty big deal when all you need is voice. So there has to be some kind of new form factor there. We looked at a lot of them, and a lot of them didn’t quite hit the mark. When Mina came and showed us the demo, it just made sense to us,” he told TechCrunch.
Competition is fierce in the field of voice AI hardware, with many makers exploring loops as a solution Form factor. Fahmy said he doesn’t want Stream to be an assistant or a companion, but rather an interface for users to express their thoughts while maintaining full control.
AI devices have yet to achieve mainstream success. Humanity Sold For HP, Rabbit is trying to improve user experience and engagement through… Software updatesAnd the friend is trying to take advantage user backlash To nourish growth. Sandbar will need to prove that its circular form factor offers real comfort and value that pendants, brooches, or bracelets don’t.