Aina opens preorders for a $399 smart ring with a screen, joystick and mic for controlling AI agents

Aina, a hardware startup led by Apoorv Shankar, a former hardware executive at smart ring maker Ultrahuman, opened preorders on November 5 for a ring designed as a controller for AI agents. Rather than tracking sleep or fitness, the device is meant to let its wearer speak to assistants, approve what they do and trigger shortcuts on a phone or computer.

What the ring does

According to several reports on the launch, the titanium ring combines a small screen, a joystick-style thumb control, a center button, a microphone and a speaker. Holding the button starts Aina Voice, which sends spoken requests to AI agents connected through the Aina app; reports name Muse and Instinct among them. The display shows notifications, indicates which app is being controlled and confirms when an action has gone through. The speaker lets users take calls from the ring.

At launch, the ring pairs with iPhone and Mac. Coverage cites uses such as controlling video calls, music and Mac shortcuts, ordering an Uber, sending an email or acting as a TV remote. A feature called Aina Cues is supposed to suggest likely next actions based on location, calendar and email. Sovereign Magazine reports up to 18 hours of battery life, an IP64 rating and seven sizes for the index finger; these specifications could not be checked against a second source. No date has been given for Android support.

Price, timing and funding

The ring costs $399 during the preorder period and $499 afterwards, according to the reports, with first deliveries planned for January 2027. Delivery dates for new hardware often slip, and no independent review is available yet.

Aina raised $5.5 million in a seed round announced in July 2026, led by Redstart Labs and 360 ONE. Its first product was Dune, a three-key keypad for the Mac whose buttons change role depending on the app in use. Sovereign Magazine says the company works from San Francisco and Bangalore.

Why a ring

Shankar's argument, as relayed in coverage of the funding round, is that most AI gadgets passively collect data, while users need a way to direct agents that carry out tasks for them. The ring is a bet that brief confirmations and voice commands from the hand are more convenient than unlocking a phone. Whether that holds will depend on how well third-party agents work through the app, which has not yet been tested publicly.