Photo by Andrey Matveev on Unsplash
You don’t always want to pull out your phone, especially when you’re in the middle of something — walking, cooking, commuting, or chasing a thought before it flies away. That’s the moment when Stream, a voice-powered smart ring from startup Sandbar, could come in handy.
Two former Meta employees, Mina Fahmi and Kirak Hong, have designed Stream to do exactly that: help you capture thoughts and control your tech without fumbling with a screen. Think of it as a quiet shortcut for your brain.
A “Mouse for Voice”
That’s how Sandbar describes Stream — a smart ring worn on your dominant hand’s index finger that listens when you want it to, stays silent when you don’t, and offers a sleek interface for interacting with AI on the go.
Fahmi, now Sandbar’s CEO, has deep roots in human-computer interaction, having worked at Kernel and Magic Leap. Hong, meanwhile, was at Google before joining CTRL-Labs, where the two met. That startup was snapped up by Meta in 2019, later contributing to the tech giant’s neural wearables research.
Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash
Their combined background led them to a simple but powerful insight: phone screens and even keyboards can get in the way of ideas.
“A lot of my ideas bubble up when I’m walking or commuting. I don’t want to pull out my phone or shout into my earbuds,” Fahmi told TechCrunch. “We were trying to understand what it would take to actually capture a thought the moment it bubbles up.”
That’s where Stream comes in.
How It Works
The ring has a tiny touchpad you press and hold to turn on its mic. No accidental recordings. No background noise. Just press, whisper, release.
During a virtual demo, it even picked up whispered thoughts and transcribed them directly into the companion iOS app. It’s designed to work quietly and discreetly — think subway platform or crowded café.
Now here’s what makes it more than just another audio gadget:
- A built-in AI chatbot talks to you while you record
- Notes can be edited by you or the AI
- You can zoom out on your conversations and notes over time
- The assistant’s voice can be tweaked to sound a bit like yours
- Without headphones, the ring uses haptic feedback so you know when it’s listening
And yes — that flat surface on the ring also works as a media controller. You can play, pause, skip tracks, or adjust volume. Helpful when you’re hands-full or phone-less.
Why Not Just Use Headphones?
The smart ring space is getting crowded. You’ve got cards from Plaud and Pocket, pendants from Friend and Limitless, and even a wristband from Bee (now acquired by Amazon). But Sandbar is betting that a ring offers the most natural, always-there interface — something you won’t forget at home.
Fahmi says it’s not trying to be your assistant or your “AI friend.” It’s a tool for you to express thoughts and maintain control.
What It Costs
Stream is now open for preorders:
- $249 for silver
- $299 for gold
- Shipping begins next summer
There’s also a Pro subscription ($10/month after three months free) that gives you unlimited chats, notes, and access to early features.
Data privacy plays a big role here, too. Sandbar encrypts all user data, gives full ownership to users, and promises export support for apps like Notion. No walled gardens.
Backing and Reception
The startup has raised $13 million from investors like True Ventures, Upfront Ventures, and Betaworks. Toni Schneider, a partner at True Ventures, admitted he was initially unsure about these types of AI wearables.
“We looked at a lot of them, and a lot of them just didn’t quite hit the target. When Mina came in and showed us the demo, it made sense to us,” he said.
The Bigger Picture
AI hardware hasn’t broken into the mainstream just yet. Other players like Humane and Rabbit are still working out hiccups. But Sandbar isn’t aiming for a “magical” device. They just want to make it easier for you to think out loud without pulling out your phone.
So if you ever wished you had a personal whiteboard for your brain, hanging off your finger — this might be it.
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Want to get hands-on? Preorders are now open at sandbar.com
Keywords: smart ring, AI wearable, Stream ring, Sandbar, voice assistant, Mina Fahmi, capture ideas, wearable tech, note-taking, AI device
