Startup Gets Thumbs-up from Alibaba’s HK Entrepreneurs Fund

[Sponsored article] Technology and business have made a fruitful partnership in the HKUST Business School as evidenced by an innovative partnership formed by three MBA alumni to develop a completely new kind of wearable device - the world’s first vibration powered, voice enabled smart ring.

Kevin Johan Wong, Marcus Leung-Shea and Yan Shun Li combined their talents and new know-how learned in the MBA program to form their company Origami Labs. The firm’s smart ring, called ORii, pairs with smartphones and uses “bone conduction technology” to deliver sound via bones, so users can listen to calls or messages and start talking just by putting their fingertip next to their ear.

The device uses Bluetooth to connect and sync with a smartphone’s voice assistant so users can open apps and dictate messages through a built-in microphone, without looking at the screen. The product was inspired in part by Kevin’s father, who is visually impaired.

“We sought inspiration from visually impaired groups in Hong Kong,” says Kevin. “They have similar requirements for the technology as the general public.”

The ring format also addresses the problem that earpieces are not designed to be worn all day long because they can create long-term discomfort in the ear, he says.