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Aina opens global pre-orders for an AI agent smart ring from about $399
Former Ultrahuman hardware lead Apoorv Shankar's startup, which raised $5.5 Mn seed in July, is pitching a ring as a yes or no interface for everyday AI agents.
Bengaluru and San Francisco based hardware startup Aina has opened global pre-orders for an AI powered smart ring aimed at agentic everyday tasks. YourStory reported a private Bengaluru launch with a list price of $499 (Rs 47,000) and limited early bird pricing from $399 (Rs 37,700), with shipments expected from January 2027. ET Tech separately said pre-orders start at $399 (about Rs 36,000) after about 15 months of development.
Founder Apoorv Shankar, formerly vice president of hardware at Ultrahuman, is positioning the ring as an alternative to unlocking a phone for AI approvals. YourStory described three interaction modes: Cues that suggest next actions from routines and connected apps, Voice for dictation and commands, and Remote for controlling nearby devices. Demo integrations named at launch included Uber, Apple Music, Spotify, calendar, smart home, WhatsApp and Telegram.
ET Tech notes Aina raised $5.5 million in seed funding in July 2026. Earlier ET coverage said that round was co-led by Redstart Labs (Info Edge) and 360 ONE Asset, with MIXI, Antler, Blume Founders Fund and angels including Kunal Shah among participants. The company had previously shipped a context aware Mac keypad called Dune while operating in stealth as Project Mirage.
Wearable AI interfaces are still unproven at this price. Aina's bet is that agents will soon ask for quick human approval more often than people want to dig through phone apps, so a thumb gesture on a ring becomes the product. Until shipments start in 2027, the claim stays a founders' roadmap: two independent outlets confirm the launch pricing and the seed raise, not that the ring already works at scale.
