Hardware startup Aina wants people to stop reaching for their phones to manage their AI assistants. The company has released a smart ring with a screen, a joystick, and a microphone, built to act as a remote control for the software agents that increasingly handle tasks on people's behalf.
How much does the Aina smart ring cost?
The ring costs $399 during its early-bird period and rises to $499 afterward. Preorders open Thursday, and Aina plans to start shipping in January 2027.
Aina's founder, Apoorv Shankar, believes the way people interact with technology is about to change. He expects AI agents to come to users proactively with tasks, and he expects people to answer with quick decisions. “Yes, order that Uber,” or “No, don’t get lunch from that spot,” is how he describes the exchange. Shankar told TechCrunch that the current hardware is not built for that kind of interaction.
“Phones and laptop screens were designed for an age of browsing where you think about opening apps,” he said. “For interacting with proactive agents, we need a better interface, and that is what we had in mind while designing Aina.”
What can the Aina smart ring do?
The ring uses its microphone to take notes, send prompts to agents, set reminders, and dictate notes on a Mac. Dictation runs through either Wispr Flow or Aina’s own dictation engine. A speaker lets the wearer take calls. The screen shows notifications from a connected phone and indicates which app the ring is currently controlling.
Navigation relies on the joystick, which also responds to gestures. Those gestures can trigger different actions depending on what is on the screen of a Mac or phone. The ring can also control music and smart home devices, including Apple TV.
Aina previously built Mirage, a three-key controller that mapped buttons to actions in whatever app was open on a Mac. On a Google Meet call, for example, users could assign keys to turn the camera on or off, mute or unmute the microphone, or leave the meeting. The company carried lessons from that device into the ring, which it is simply calling the “AI ring.”
How does the Aina ring compare to other smart rings?
The ring is not the first of its kind. Several smart rings already on the market offer similar features, including the Pebble Index 01, Sandbar Stream, Oasis, and Natura. Aina appears to be betting that extra controls and added functionality will set its product apart.
The device also faces competition from other companies chasing the same audience of programmers and AI enthusiasts. OpenAI has experimented with a keyboard for interacting with its tools, and Rabbit has tried to position itself as a controller for agents. The shared premise is that enough people will eventually run multiple agents and want dedicated hardware to keep track of them.
A reviewer who used the ring for several days found that it works like a smartwatch in ring form, with more controls. Notifications appeared on the device, and replies were possible from it. The ring also surfaced meetings and could be used to call an Uber ride home. The reviewer said Apple TV’s own remote remains easier to use, though the ring came in handy on a couple of occasions when the remote could not be found.
The reviewer also noted that much of the software and features are still being developed. That makes it hard to say where a device like this would fit into everyday routines. Still, the ring is clearly aimed at people who spend much of their day surrounded by digital devices and AI applications.
Aina raised $5.5 million in July. The company is now moving its first ring toward customers, and its success will likely depend on whether agent-driven software becomes common enough to make a dedicated controller feel necessary.
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