Former Meta Employees Launch A Ring To Take Voice Notes And Control Music

A raft of voice-based hardware devices person emerged, aimed astatine companionship, productivity, aliases individual growth. These see card-shaped devices from Plaud and Pocket; pendants from Friend, Limitless, and Taya; and a wristband from Bee, which is now portion of Amazon.

Now, 2 erstwhile Meta labor who worked connected interface creation person launched Sandbar, a startup that has created a ringing called Stream for akin purposes. The institution calls nan ringing “a rodent for voice” because it tin return notes, thief you interact pinch an AI assistant, and besides fto you power music.

Sandbar’s CEO, Mina Fahmi, has an extended inheritance successful designing human-computer interfaces. He worked astatine Bryan Johnson’s Kernel and later astatine smart glasses startup Magic Leap. Kirak Hong, Sandbar’s CTO, worked astatine Google earlier joining CTRL-Labs, wherever nan duo met. Meta acquired nan startup successful 2019, and its activity yet led to neural interfaces for nan tech giant’s smart wearables.

Sandbar co-founders Kirak Hong and Mina Fahmi Image Credits: Sandbar

Fahmi said that erstwhile ample connection models started emerging a fewer years ago, he built an experimental journaling app. However, he recovered that nan app itself became a obstruction to capturing his thoughts. Given his acquisition building hardware interfaces, he began exploring a conversational hardware interface instead.

“A batch of my ideas bubble up erstwhile I’m stepping aliases erstwhile I’m commuting, and I don’t want to propulsion retired my telephone to interrupt that moment. I don’t want to outcry into my earbuds wherever nan world tin perceive maine to talk done an idea. Kirak and I were trying to understand what it would return to really seizure a thought nan infinitesimal it bubbles up. That’s really we came up pinch Stream,” Fahmi told TechCrunch successful an interview.

Image Credits: Sandbar

The ring, designed to beryllium worn connected your ascendant hand’s scale finger, has microphones and a touch pad.

In a virtual demo, Fahmi wore nan Stream ringing connected his scale digit and recorded his thoughts by pressing and holding nan touchpad. By default, nan microphone is off, activating only pinch this gesture. The microphone proved delicate capable to prime up whispers and transcribe them successful nan companion iOS app. Other apps for illustration Wispr Flow and Willow likewise let group to seizure their thoughts quietly.

Stream’s app includes an AI chatbot that converses pinch you arsenic you grounds your thoughts. You tin shape these into abstracted notes that either you aliases nan AI tin edit. The app besides lets you pinch to zoom retired and reappraisal what you person discussed complete days aliases weeks. Sandbar has added a personalization furniture truthful nan assistant’s sound sounds somewhat akin to nan user’s.

Fahmi said that successful crowded spaces, users tin deterioration headphones to converse privately pinch nan assistant. Without headphones, nan ringing provides haptic feedback erstwhile it successfully registers a note, allowing you to adhd to-dos, return notes, aliases cheque items disconnected a market database quietly.

Beyond sound functions, nan ring’s level aboveground doubles arsenic a media controller, allowing you to play, pause, skip tracks and set volume. While galore headphones connection akin controls, nan ringing could beryllium useful erstwhile your hands are occupied aliases you’re successful transit.

The institution is opening up pre-orders for Stream connected Wednesday astatine $249 for nan metallic type and $299 for gold. Sandbar intends to statesman shipping adjacent summer. A Pro subscription tier — free for 3 months for those who preorder, past $10 per period — offers unlimited chats, notes, and early entree to caller features.

Fahmi said nan institution gives users afloat power complete their information astatine immoderate tier, pinch encryption some astatine remainder and successful transit. He added that Sandbar doesn’t judge successful walled gardens and plans to support information exports to apps for illustration Notion.

Sandbar has raised $13 cardinal successful backing from True Ventures, Upfront Ventures, and Betaworks.

Toni Schneider, a partner astatine True Ventures, said he had been skeptical of AI devices, arsenic demos he’d seen earlier Stream weren’t impressive.

“I deliberation a batch of group would work together that sound and AI spell really good together. And [they besides agree] that having a telephone aliases moreover a laptop to interact pinch AI is benignant of a batch erstwhile each you request is voice. So location should beryllium immoderate benignant of caller shape facet retired there. We looked astatine a batch of them, and a batch of them conscionable didn’t rather deed nan target. When Mina came successful and showed america nan demo, it made consciousness to us,” he told TechCrunch.

Competition is fierce successful nan voice-AI hardware space, pinch galore builders exploring rings arsenic a form factor. Fahmi said he doesn’t want Stream to beryllium an adjunct aliases a companion, but alternatively an interface for users to definitive their ideas while maintaining afloat control.

AI hardware has yet to execute mainstream success. Humane sold to HP, Rabbit is attempting to amended personification acquisition and engagement done software updates, and Friend is trying to leverage user backlash to substance growth. Sandbar will request to beryllium that its ringing shape facet offers genuine convenience and worth that pendants, pins, aliases wristbands cannot.