Meta announces Tamagotchi-style Muse Charm
Meta has unveiled Muse Charm, a tiny AI-powered device designed to put its personalised Muse assistant in the palm of users’ hands.
Meta has unveiled a tiny new device called Muse Charm, a Tamagotchi-style gadget designed to bring its personalised artificial intelligence assistant into a standalone piece of hardware.
The device was revealed at the very end of Meta Connect 26, after the company had shown off its latest virtual reality and smart glasses products.
Muse Charm is a small silver square with a screen on the front, surrounded by relatively thick black bezels.
It appears to have a wrist strap for portability, although unlike Meta's smart glasses, it is not designed to be worn.
The screen is expected to be central to the experience, displaying a user's customised Muse.
Images shown by Meta suggest the device will also have a microphone, allowing people to interact with the AI assistant using their voice.
Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said the company hopes to ship Muse Charm "in time for the holidays in December", although only a small number of prototypes have been built so far.
The company is still deciding on the device's final materials. Zuckerberg described one possible design as having a translucent exterior that would expose some of its internal components, giving it an "elevated hacker aesthetic".
More details are expected to be announced before launch.
Muse Charm represents a new hardware category for Meta, separate from its growing range of AI-powered glasses.
The company has already announced that Muse will be coming to Meta's glasses, where it will be able to use cameras and other sensors to understand the user's surroundings.
The Charm does not appear to have a camera, suggesting its focus will instead be on voice interaction and the display.
Meta is also expanding Muse on computers. Its upcoming macOS app will gain computer-use capabilities, allowing the assistant to carry out tasks on a user's behalf.
The move puts Meta into a crowded market for dedicated AI hardware, following products such as the Rabbit R1 and Humane AI Pin.
Those devices struggled to establish themselves as mainstream products, leaving questions over whether consumers will want another gadget dedicated to AI.
Meta's existing Muse assistant, however, has already attracted users through its software, offering extensive customisation and the ability to give the AI a personalised name.
The company has yet to reveal pricing or detailed specifications for Muse Charm.
