This $249 AI smart ring doesn’t track your health — it tracks your mind

Image Source: Sandbar

Two former Meta employees launched a $249 smart ring on Wednesday that records your whispered thoughts, rather than counting your steps.

Sandbar’s Stream Ring captures voice notes through a finger-worn microphone when users press and hold its touch sensor. The device transcribes speech into text notes organized by an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered app, initially available only on iOS.

“For some people, rather than tracking their heart rate, they want to track their thoughts, and this is a particularly powerful tool for that,” Sandbar cofounder Mina Fahmi told WIRED.

The ring responds to users in their own voice, generated from recordings made during setup. This feature, powered by ElevenLabs, aims to create “an interactive inner monologue” rather than a separate AI companion.

Source: Sandbar

Cofounders Fahmi and Kirak Hong previously worked at CTRL-Labs, a neural interface startup acquired by Meta. Their new company raised $13 million in venture funding to develop the Stream Ring.

The aluminum ring with black resin interior resists rain and handwashing. Users can whisper notes even in crowded spaces, according to its promotional materials.

Unlike popular smart rings from Oura or Samsung that monitor sleep patterns and heart rates, Stream focuses entirely on mental organization. The device doubles as a music controller through taps and swipes but includes no health sensors.

Pre-orders begin at $249 for matte silver and $299 for polished gold versions. Each purchase includes three months of Stream Pro subscription service, which costs $10 monthly afterward.

The free tier offers unlimited notes but limits AI chat interactions. Pro subscribers get unlimited conversations and early access to new features.

“We think of this as the mouse for voice because it solves a lot of the challenges of a voice interaction at once,” Fahmi explained. “We mostly imagine it phone away, earbuds in—this allows you to interact immediately with no wake word.”

The company promises “all-day” battery life with USB-C charging. A proprietary charger ships with each ring, which comes in sizes 5 through 13.

Desktop and Android apps are planned but not yet available. Buyers must wait until summer 2026 for delivery, making this an early-stage pre-order rather than an immediate purchase.

The Stream Ring processes information through a combination of on-device computing, smartphone processing, and cloud-based language models. Audio recordings aren’t saved—only transcribed text appears in the app.