Singapore-based smart hardware and AI company Lingverse has raised $29 million to develop iKairos, a wearable device that can turn its camera to observe both the person wearing it and the environment around them. The company describes iKairos as a personal AI guardian that aims to offer help before being asked, using two-way visual context to understand what is happening in the user's life. This proactive approach, according to Lingverse, could make AI assistance more timely and relevant compared to traditional voice assistants that wait for a command.
iKairos is designed as a modular device that can be worn on the body or placed on a desk. Its camera can shift between the user and the surrounding area, collecting context from either direction. Lingverse says the device captures only occasional still photos, not video, and that each image is discarded immediately after AI analysis, leaving no browsable library of raw images on the device or in the cloud. Audio recording begins only after detecting a human voice, and the company states it will not continuously record all ambient sounds. However, details on how long voice-triggered audio remains available during or after analysis have not yet been provided.
Privacy is a central concern for a device that can look directly at its wearer. Lingverse has equipped iKairos with a physical camera shutter that blocks the lens and provides a visible privacy control. Users can also press and hold a control to activate silent mode, which stops the device from listening; the screen and an indicator light confirm that silent mode is active. According to Lingverse, no information leaves the device without explicit user consent, and data is encrypted both in transit and at rest, whether on the device or in the cloud. Users can decide what gets uploaded for cloud analysis, choose how long data is retained, and permanently delete individual items or close their account to clear all content from the cloud.
The idea behind iKairos builds on an earlier home robot called Jibo, a small tabletop robot with an expressive screen that gained attention after a 2014 crowdfunding campaign and later appeared on TIME's Best Inventions list. Despite its novel animated interface, Jibo remained stationary, limiting its usefulness, and the company behind it eventually closed in 2019 after delivering an emotional farewell message to users. Lingverse founder and CEO Jiawei Gu previously served on Jibo's board and has worked in human-computer interaction at Microsoft Research and Baidu. He later developed the Luka Reading Robot, which Lingverse says has sold roughly 10 million units. Now, Gu aims to continue Jibo's social robot concept with modern AI, adding mobility and a deeper understanding of the individual user.
Lingverse says iKairos will learn about its wearer over time, using that memory to choose when to offer a question, reminder, or suggestion. When asked about specific tasks the device will handle at launch, the company described its broader goal of anticipating needs and adapting to routine but did not provide concrete examples. Battery life is targeted at 12 to 16 hours, though actual runtime will vary based on capture frequency, sync intervals, and usage environment. Preorders are expected to begin during the third quarter of 2025, though pricing has not yet been announced.
