Two former Meta designers have built a smart ring that is less about tracking your steps and sleep and more about helping you track your best ideas.
Steam is a novel wearable that will record your sweet nothings and turn them into text on a companion iOS app. Sandbar, the company behind Stream, called the ring “a mouse for voice” in an interview with TechCrunch because it’ll record your thoughts, let you interact with an AI assistant, and help you control your music. It might not be one of the best smart rings for fitness and tracking, but there’s something there for you if you want to record your inner monologue.
Using it is pretty simple, apparently as you just need to press and hold a small touch pad on the ring to wake the microphone. Once you’re done, let go and the ring’s haptic feedback will buzz to let you know your message has been saved. The flat edge can also be used to play, pause, and skip your music, as well as turn the volume up.
Inside the app you can chat with an AI as you record, split thoughts into separate notes, and review what you’ve previously recorded. There’s a personalisation layer too the assistant’s voice leans closer to your own, and you can use headphones in crowded spaces if you want privacy.
Your data is also encrypted and there are plans to let you export your notes to apps like Notion in the future.
Pre-orders for the ring are open now with prices starting from $249. Every purchase includes three months of Stream Pro, the subscription service which offers unlimited notes and chats. But after the trial period, you’ll need to fork out $10/month to keep chatting without limits.
Sandbar expects shipping to start in 2026.
