WHSP Ring removes anxiety from using voice assistants in public

If you’re self-conscious about speaking to voice assistants on your phone in public, a new smart ring being showcased at CES 2024 might be the solution.

The VTouch WHSP Ring was announced in December but is now being showcased during the annual Las Vegas Expo.

The idea is simple: The ring has a proximity sensor and a microphone. When you lift the ring to your mouth, the microphone is activated and you can whisper your voice commands. The microphone is specifically tuned to pick up whispers, so you can use it anywhere.

Of course, this isn’t just a simple and discreet way to use voice assistants and avoid social awkwardness, there’s a smart AI element compatible with ChatGPT for interactive chat and contextual awareness.

“WHSP Ring can be at the forefront of this screenless computing paradigm shift,” the company said in a recent press release.

“In contrast to many other AI assistant devices, WHSP Ring requires no trigger word. With integrated proximity sensors and AI speech recognition, the portable ring knows when the user speaks to it. Such benefits are critical when bridging the gap between CUI and real-life conversations.”

The proximity sensors within the ring measure the distance from your mouth so it only picks-up close-range voices. There’s also a button on the ring that’ll allow you to discreetly play smartphone messages through a pair of connected earphones.

In the video above, the WHSP Ring is used to ask random questions about art, seek advice when you’re not feeling great, and control your smart home devices. It might be a nice way to power down the lights at night, for instance, without waking a sleeping partner.

The battery will get you through the day, and then some, while the carrying case will keep you going for up to nine days with additional charges. You’ll be able to fund WHSP Ring as a Kickstarter project soon enough.