Sandbar, a new startup founded by former Meta employees Mina Fahmi and Kirak Hong, has introduced Stream, an AI-powered ring designed to capture voice notes, facilitate interaction with an AI assistant, and control media. The device enters a developing market for voice-based hardware, which includes offerings from companies such as Plaud, Pocket, Friend, Limitless, Taya, and Amazon's Bee.
Mina Fahmi, Sandbar's CEO, brings a background in human-computer interface design from Bryan Johnson's Kernel and Magic Leap. Kirak Hong, CTO, previously worked at Google and CTRL-Labs, where he and Fahmi met. Meta acquired CTRL-Labs in 2019, integrating its neural interface work into the tech giant's smart wearables.
According to Fahmi, the concept for Stream emerged from a need for a seamless conversational interface that would not interrupt activities like walking or commuting. The ring, intended for the dominant hand's index finger, features microphones and a touchpad. A press-and-hold gesture activates the microphone, which Fahmi demonstrated can pick up whispers and transcribe them via a companion iOS application.
The Stream app integrates an AI chatbot for conversational note-taking, allowing users to organize and edit notes. The system also offers a personalization layer, where the assistant's voice aims to resemble the user's. For privacy in crowded environments, users can utilize headphones, while haptic feedback confirms successful note registration without audible prompts. Beyond voice functions, the ring's surface serves as a media controller for playback, track skipping, and volume adjustment.
Sandbar initiated pre-orders for the Stream ring on Wednesday, priced at $249 for the silver version and $299 for gold, with shipping projected to begin next summer. A Pro subscription tier, offering unlimited chats, notes, and early feature access, will be available for $10 per month after a three-month complimentary period for pre-order customers. Fahmi stated the company prioritizes user data control, implementing encryption for data both at rest and in transit, and plans to support data exports to third-party applications.
The company has secured $13 million in funding from True Ventures, Upfront Ventures, and Betaworks. Toni Schneider, a partner at True Ventures, noted his previous skepticism regarding AI devices, stating that Stream's demo “made sense to us” in demonstrating how voice and AI could effectively converge in a new form factor.
The voice-AI hardware sector is experiencing heightened competition, with various companies exploring ring form factors, according to industry observations. Companies like Humane and Rabbit have navigated market challenges in this emerging space. Fahmi positioned Stream not as an assistant or companion, but as an interface for users to express ideas while retaining control.
