Original title: “It is also wearable + AI, why can this product win the AI Pin? 》
Focusing on the meeting scene, we first used AI to solve a very specific problem.
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Author | Meiyi
Editor | Jingyu
The era of artificial intelligence devices triggered by large models has arrived. A series of high-profile artificial intelligence gadgets are bringing this new technology from science fiction into reality, such as Humane's smartphone-style wearable device AI Pin, the post-smartphone era handheld computer Rabbit R1, and so on.
Most of these devices are cool in appearance or full of gimmicks, but they are not practical. For example, the AI Pin was criticized by the media after the ban was lifted.
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Recently, artificial intelligence startup Limitless released a new AI wearable device-Limitless Pendant.
This is a simple and compact circular device that only focuses on one core function: recording and processing conversations, rather than making a general-purpose product like AI Pin and Rabbit. This device focuses on “meeting scenarios” and aims to provide a practical solution for it. Through recording and AI, it can help users better remember and understand meeting content and easily manage meetings.
Limitless Pendant The pricing is also very affordable, only $99. The company is currently taking pre-orders and expects to begin shipping in the fourth quarter of 2024.
It’s also worth mentioning that the company has raised over $33 million from top investors including Sam Altman, First Round Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and NEA.
So, what’s so special about the Limitless Pendant? Will it be the first successful AI hardware?
01.“AI jewelry” around the neck
What exactly is Limitless Pendant?
The official definition from the Limitless company, “Limitless Pendant is a web application, a Mac application, a Windows application and a wearable device.”
This means that the Limitless Pendant consists of two parts:
The first part is “hardware”, which is the Pendant, which can be regarded as a microphone with AI function.
The second part is “software”, which is an integrated application for capturing conference audio, also known as Litmitless. It is available for macOS, Windows and web applications, and is equipped with AI functions, which can automate the work and provide useful analysis. Summary and suggested tips.
It can be seen that this device is essentially a portable recording tool with AI function.
It can capture user recordings (from a single meeting to a full day of conversations), send the recordings to a secure place in the cloud, transcribe them, and then use AI tools to automatically create notes and summaries for you to review later. App search to help you remember and understand.
Dan Siroker, co-founder and CEO of Limitless, said: “This is a way to enhance memory and access to information well beyond what is biologically possible.”
He also relates the concept to his own experience of starting to lose his hearing in his twenties and turning to technology. He said frankly, “When I tried on hearing aids for the first time, it felt like I had gained a superpower. What we have to do now is use artificial intelligence to enhance our abilities.”
So, let’s talk about Limitless Pendant first The “hardware” – Pendant.
This AI wearable device looks like a simple round clip, a clam shell, a pair of small wooden fish, or something used to seal a half-eaten potato chip bag, and it feels both understated and innovative.
A microphone array, magnets, and circuit board are implanted on the front end of the “clip.”
The microphone uses beam forming technology, and the AI function can more clearly identify and record the person talking to you instead of other people in the cafe; the magnet can be attached to the other half of the clip, and is paired with a flexible pair with magnets on both ends. The buckle allows the Pendant to be worn as a pendant or clipped to clothing, which is very convenient; while the other half of the clip houses the circuit board.
The round face of the Pendant is made of brushed aluminum, making it durable and weatherproof, about the size of a watch, and available in eight colors, including black, blue, green, grey, navy, pink, white and yellow.
Additionally, to sync data with its apps and the cloud, it supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity and comes with a USB Type-C port for charging, with a battery life of up to 100 hours.
It must also be mentioned that,Pendant is styled by Beats by Dr.Dre Designed by Ammunition, the industrial design company behind the headphones,The company's design team aimed to create a product that was both easy to wear and lovable.
In this regard, Robert Brunner, founder of Ammunition, said, “In the process of designing headphones for Beats, we learned the concept that wearability is not just functional, it is also emotional, and it is about what is worn on the body. Feeling.” “So,We wanted Pendant's design to feel more like jewelry, more sophisticated and less eye-catching, rather than a very tech-centric look like the rectangular Ai Pin and Rabbit devices. “
But in order to alleviate people's “concerns” about a device recording everything all the time, it also has to be a little “obtrusive.”
Brunner also stressed, “You have to maintain a balance because people need to see it. They need to know it's on. They need to know they're being recorded.”
Therefore, the team designed an LED light in the center of the Pendant. Once the device starts recording, the LED light will light up and send out a subtle reminder to let people know that they are being recorded.
It’s also worth mentioning that the entire design process for Pendant took just eight weeks, which is surprisingly quick.
After talking about the hardware, let’s talk about the software.
In fact, Litmitless evolved from Siroker's last artificial intelligence product, Rewind.
Rewind is an application that runs on your computer and can record your screen and other data, capture audio from your computer's microphone and speakers, and help you remember every tag, every song, every meeting, and what you're talking about. Everything you do on your computer, plus real-time note-taking, drafting emails, and more.
Now, the company is applying this work-efficiency AI to wearable devices, and the company's name has also been changed from Rewind to Limitless.
Limitless Pendant, as part of the Limitless system, doesn't just run on your computer, but collects data from the cloud and the real world and makes it available to you on any device. As the definition given by Litmitless company’s official website, “Personalized artificial intelligence based on what you see, hear, and say.”
02.Focus on work scenarios
Limitless AI was originally positioned as an AI conference assistant, designed to help users easily prepare for meetings.
Dan Siroker, co-founder of Limitless, explained: “Personally, I need to attend meetings continuously, and I want to be 100% focused on the people I’m meeting with. I can’t take notes or track. Action items, preparation for the next meeting, otherwise it will prevent me from communicating with the person in front of me.”
This AI conference assistant has 4 main functions:
The “preparation function” can provide meeting background information. The source of the information is your Gmail, Google Calendar, email and other information;
“Recording function” displays the transcribed text in real time;
“Notes function” summarizes the conversation content in real time;
“Summary function” summarizes the conversation content.
It's extremely simple to use.
You can join and record a meeting by simply tapping the device, and “bookmark” moments during the conversation by tapping the device. You can also tap and hold the device to ask Pendant questions, but it's unclear whether the device will respond with a voice or within the app.
Because Limitless AI can take in all the audio Pendant records and understand it, you can access it through the app and retrieve specific information at any time. For example, if you forget a deadline someone mentioned in a meeting, you can ask Pendant for the answer directly without even referring to the meeting minutes.
However, almost all current conferencing tools have incorporated AI functions, and there are even more transcription applications. Limitless Pendant What's so special about it?
First of all, its pricing is the same as that of Xiaomi, only $99, which is high quality and affordable.
It is small and lightweight, has a unique wearable form, and is optimized for real-world audio through AI. It can also have a long standby time and is always with you, capturing every moment of your life and collecting your impromptu conversations and insights about life. etc. It is expected to become the user’s “AI memory enhancer” and change the way users process information.
Secondly, it uses Rewind, which has been online for a long time and has rich “experience”, as the basis for iterative upgrades.
Litmitless AI has improved “compatibility” and is compatible with almost all your office software, such as Zoom, Google Meet, Slack, etc. You can directly integrate it into your existing workflow and use it in conjunction with it, such as Take notes in Notion or get action items in Slack without having to jump to another app entirely.
Although currently Litmitless AI can only respond to your needs, in the future, it is likely to actively do some interesting things, just like ChatGPT. For example, when you receive a message, based on your past context, Litmitless AI will I will answer this message for you and give you the edited draft directly.
In this regard, Siroker, founder of Litmitless, said, “Once a company masters this, its AI agent can truly do things on your behalf, so that the company can understand everything about you and do everything for you, and everything will become incredible. . But it’s a harder problem to solve.”
more importantly,This device pays great attention to privacy protection. Pendant is set up in “consent mode”, and the device will only record after the speaker verbally agrees. What’s more, it recognizes consent through contextual language so users don’t have to interrupt the conversation.
Not only that, all data collected by the device will be anonymous and securely stored in the “Confidential Cloud”, which is a secure cloud server where the data is encrypted and stored, but cannot be accessed by anyone except the user, ensuring Everyone can participate with confidence.
at present,Limitless Pendant No subscription required, the free tier provides 10 hours of AI functionality per monthand unlimited audio storage, but to use the full set of AI functions, you need to pay an additional $19 per month to subscribe to the “Limitless Pro” service.
Grand View Research estimates that the global AI market size will be US$62.35 billion in 2020, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) expected to reach 40.2% from 2021 to 2028. Companies like Limitless are capitalizing on this growth, launching smart devices and software to capture and understand human interactions.
Although Limitless currently only focuses on “work scenarios”, its ambitions do not stop there.
In the future, Limitless definitely wants to become a big-name AI gadget that is as functional and powerful as any product from Meta, Rabbit or Humane.
only,The company's development strategy is more “pragmatic”. First choose a problem that AI can solve, solve it, and then choose another, rather than using science fiction imagination as a precursor. As company founder Siroker said, “We just want to do a few things particularly well, not everything.”
“Meeting Preparation” may not be the most exciting AI story, but it’s an effective one and a good start!