AI is rapidly moving from the cloud to the physical world, giving rise to new hardware-software integrated products. According to CNBC, Hangzhou-based startup EinClaw recently shipped its first 100 clip-on microphones to customers, priced at just $43. Users wearing the device can directly control the OpenClaw AI agent via voice commands to perform queries and manage tasks. This startup, originally focused on cloud data system development, is now entering the hardware space—marking an accelerating convergence of AI and the physical world.
In China, the production environments of millions of factories highlight the limitations of pure cloud-based AI, pushing more companies to invest in on-device intelligence. At the same time, software-first AI firms are expanding into hardware. For example, Style3D, founded in 2015, initially used AI to help apparel companies shorten the design-to-production cycle and is now extending its reach into the physical world. At the Beijing Auto Show opening this Friday, automakers from the US, South Korea, and Germany have announced new models equipped with local AI technologies from Chinese companies such as ByteDance. Additionally, former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at CNBC’s CONVERGE LIVE Singapore event on Thursday that economic coercion from the US is driving Canadian businesses toward partnerships with China.
