The era of recording thoughts with fingertips without taking out a smartphone or earphones has begun. A startup called Sandbar, founded by former Meta developers in Silicon Valley, has unveiled a ring-shaped AI-based voice device called “Stream.” This device allows users to instantly record thoughts that arise while walking or commuting and summarizing them as if conversing with AI.
Stream is a voice interface device that helps capture short ideas or notes without the hassle of taking out a smartphone in daily life. The ring is worn on the index finger, and users can speak by lightly pressing their fingers. Only then does the microphone activate, recognizing whispers and automatically saving them as text in a dedicated app.
Mina Fahmi, co-founder of Sandbar, said, “We needed a way to record ideas that suddenly came to mind while walking or commuting,” adding, “It was much more natural to speak by pressing a ring instead of taking out a cellphone.”
Sandbar was founded by Mina Fahmi and Kirak Hong. Fahmi, the CEO, researched human-computer interfaces at Kernel, a neuro-interface company, and Magic Leap, an augmented reality (AR) device company. Hong, the CTO, is a former Googler and worked at CTRL-Labs, a startup known for neural control technology. The two met while working together at this company and collaborated on projects when Meta acquired the company in 2019.
Their experience is directly reflected in Sandbar’s direction, aiming for “conversation-like interactive technology” rather than screen-centered interfaces. Stream is the result of that philosophy.
Fahmi explained, “If the era where AI understands human language has arrived, the method of inputting that language should also change,” emphasizing that “voice was the answer.”
On the surface, the Stream ring resembles a regular ring, but inside, it has a microphone and touchpad. The microphone is usually off and activates only when the user presses the touchpad. The voice recorded by the ring is sent to a dedicated iOS app, where AI automatically converts it into text. The app includes a chatbot feature that allows users to organize notes while recording, as if having a conversation.
Recorded notes are organized by date and can be reviewed with finger gestures to zoom in and out. Sandbar plans to add personalization features to adjust the AI’s voice to match the user’s, providing a more friendly conversational experience.
In noisy environments like public places, headphones can be connected for quiet use. The ring notifies successful recordings with a vibration. It also supports media control functions such as music playback and volume adjustment, allowing users to control music from their fingertips without looking at a smartphone screen.
While voice data is crucial due to the nature of AI devices, Sandbar emphasizes privacy protection. All data is encrypted during storage and transmission. Users can directly manage their generated data and export it to external apps if needed. Sandbar is preparing for integration with memo and task management platforms like Notion.
Fahmi stated, “We don’t want a closed ecosystem,” and stressed, “It’s our fundamental philosophy to allow users to move their records to the services they want.”
The AI hardware market is rapidly evolving. Various companies such as Plaud, Pocket, Limitless, Friend, and Taya are releasing voice-based devices in diverse forms, including wristbands, pendants, and clip-on devices. A wristband-type device from Bee, acquired by Amazon, has also gained attention.
In this competitive landscape, Sandbar’s Stream presents a new form of interaction through a “ring.” Instead of using a screen, users input directly through their fingertips and issue commands via voice.
Sandbar will take pre-orders for the silver model at $249 and the gold model at $299, with delivery starting next summer. The “Pro” subscription service offers unlimited conversation and memo features and priority access to new features. It is free for three months for pre-order customers and will be priced at $10 per month thereafter.
They have also secured funding. Sandbar has raised $13 million (approximately 18 billion won) from investors like True Ventures, Upfront Ventures, and Betaworks.
Toni Schneider, a partner at True Ventures, commented, “AI and voice are a good combination, but previous products have been unsatisfactory,” adding, “Stream shows the potential to overcome those limitations.”
As AI technology becomes mainstream, rethinking “how to input and how to converse” has become a new challenge for tech companies. Stream departs from the existing smartphone and earphone-centric approach, opting for the most natural input method—fingertips.
Currently, AI wearable devices have yet to become mainstream in the market. However, Sandbar believes that ring-shaped devices can offer practical convenience and new experiences in daily life.
As AI’s speed and accuracy in processing information increase, the way humans interact with it is also changing. Sandbar’s challenge lies not in technology itself but in the innovation of interfaces. It remains to be seen how fingertip-initiated voice technology will change future interactions between individuals and AI.