Introducing Omi: The AI Wearable Aiming to Enhance Your Productivity
At the bustling Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas this week, San Francisco startup Based Hardware unveiled Omi, its latest innovation in AI wearables. Designed to boost productivity, Omi is a versatile device that can be worn as a necklace or attached to the side of your head using medical tape, thanks to its intriguing “brain interface” technology that detects when you’re engaging with it by thought.
The brainchild of Thiel fellow Nik Shevchenko, Omi has had an interesting journey. Originally launched on Kickstarter as “Friend,” the device underwent a name change after another tech company claimed the name and domain for $1.8 million. This is not just a rebranding but a strategic pivot to position Omi as a productivity companion rather than a smartphone replacement or AI friend.
- Omi is priced at $89 and will ship in Q2 of 2025.
- A developer version is available now for $70.
- The device can answer questions, summarize conversations, create to-do lists, and manage schedules.
“For us, the user base is actually the core driver of the product itself. The more people that know about us, the better the product becomes because we are built on this open source platform.”
— Nik Shevchenko, Founder of Based Hardware
Omi operates on an open-source platform powered by GPT-4o that offers transparency and privacy control, allowing users to choose where their data is stored. This transparency also encourages developers to create applications for Omi—with over 250 apps already in its app store.
Shevchenko acknowledges potential privacy concerns with a device that’s always listening but assures users that they have control over their data. This open approach has attracted significant interest, with Based Hardware raising around $700,000 and investing heavily in marketing efforts.
The innovative brain interface feature aims to let Omi understand when you’re speaking to it without needing wake words. While this feature’s effectiveness remains untested by TechCrunch, a demo showed Shevchenko using it successfully by focusing intently on Omi while asking questions with his eyes closed.
This development comes amidst a vibrant landscape of AI wearables like Rabbit and Ray-Ban Metas, which have yet to fulfill their initial promises. However, Shevchenko’s unique approach may carve out a new niche in consumer hardware.
As Based Hardware continues its journey post-launch, Shevchenko remains optimistic about expanding Omi’s user base and tapping into new capital resources to further enhance the product’s capabilities.
