Aina launches a $399 smart ring with a display, joystick and microphone for talking to AI agents

Aina, a hardware startup, has unveiled a smart ring with a screen, a joystick and a microphone, designed to let users talk to their AI agents and take notes. The device, which the company simply calls the “AI ring,” costs $399 on pre-order and also has a speaker, so it can take calls too. According to TechCrunch, the company, which raised $5.5 million in July, is positioning it as a kind of controller for both AI and non-AI apps.

Aina previously made Mirage, a three-key controller that assigned buttons based on whichever app was active on the Mac's screen. During a Google Meet call, for example, keys could be set to turn the camera on or off, mute the microphone or leave the meeting. The company says it has built the lessons from that product into the new ring.

With the microphone, users can take notes, send instructions to agents, create reminders and dictate text on the Mac through Wispr Flow or the startup's own dictation engine. The screen shows phone notifications and the apps being controlled. A joystick handles navigation, and the ring supports gestures that trigger different actions depending on what is on the Mac or phone screen. It can also control music or smart home devices such as Apple TV.

The article notes that other smart rings already offer similar features, including the Pebble Index 01, Sandbar Stream, Oasis and Natura. According to the author, this is why Aina has added more controls and features to stand out.

The journalist who wrote the piece says he used the ring for a few days and describes it as “a smartwatch in ring form, with more controls.” He says he was able to receive and reply to notifications, check his meetings and order an Uber home. On Apple TV control, he notes that the original remote is easier to use, but the ring came in handy a couple of times when he couldn't find the remote. He adds that much of the software and features are still being refined, so it is hard for him to say where it would fit in his daily routine. Even so, he believes it is clearly aimed at people surrounded by digital devices and AI apps.

Apoorv Shankar, Aina's founder, told TechCrunch that phones and laptop screens were designed for a browsing era built around opening apps. Interacting with proactive agents, he said, requires a better interface, and that is what they had in mind when designing the product.

The article places the ring within a broader trend: several companies are trying to win over developers and AI enthusiasts with specialized hardware for managing multiple agents. It mentions an experimental OpenAI keyboard and Rabbit, which is trying to position itself as a controller. The underlying bet is that enough people will be running multiple agents to want to invest in dedicated devices to help them keep track of them.

As for pricing and availability, pre-orders open Thursday at a launch price of $399. Once that period ends, the ring will cost $499. The company expects to begin shipping in January 2027.

Note: the downloaded text corresponds to the TechCrunch article rather than the source named in the link title, so this summary is limited to what appears in that piece.