The key facts
- The Aina ring costs $399 on pre-order, $499 after the early period; shipping from January 2027
- The device is positioned as a controller for AI agents and regular apps: notes, reminders, calls, notifications, Apple TV control
- The AI ring market is already crowded: Pebble Index 01, Sandbar Stream, Oasis and Natura
A ring as a remote control for AI agents
On Thursday, November 5, the startup Aina released a smart ring with a screen, joystick, microphone and speaker, which the company simply calls the 'AI ring'. The $399 device lets you send voice requests to agents, take notes, set reminders, dictate text to a Mac via Wispr Flow or the company's own dictation engine, respond to notifications, call an Uber, control music and smart home devices, including Apple TV. This was reported by TechCrunch.
Lessons from a previous device and a crowded market
Aina previously released Mirage — a three-button controller whose buttons changed functions depending on the app open on a Mac: for example, during a Google Meet call they controlled the camera, microphone and leaving the meeting. The lessons from that device formed the basis of the ring. Company founder Apurv Shankar explained the idea this way: 'Phones and laptop screens were built for the browsing era, when you think about opening apps. Interacting with proactive agents requires a better interface — that's exactly what we had in mind when designing Aina.' The TechCrunch author, who used the ring for several days, describes it as 'a smart watch in ring form with a large number of controls,' noting that many features are still being refined.
Part of a growing 'hardware for agents' segment
The AI ring market is no longer empty: similar devices are offered by Pebble Index 01, Sandbar Stream, Oasis and Natura — probably why Aina bet on expanded controls: a screen, a speaker for calls, a joystick and gestures that trigger depending on what's on the Mac or phone screen. Aina is not the only player making specialized 'hardware' for working with agents: in July the startup raised $5.5 million for devices for controlling agents, OpenAI released an experimental keyboard for Codex for $230, and Rabbit is trying to position itself as a controller. The bet of such companies is that enough users will have several parallel agents, and will buy a separate gadget to control them.
Price and timing
Pre-orders open Thursday at an early price of $399; after the early period ends, the ring will cost $499. Shipments are planned for January 2027.
