Who cares most about the mirror on the wall?
That’s the question health technology company Baracoda wants you to ask. At CES 2024, the company launched BMinder, a smart mirror for mental health and stress management.
Launched last year, Baracoda’s smart mirror features skincare analytics that tell you which products to use and how to care for your skin. Now it’s adding check-ins, mindfulness routines, and, you guessed it, an AI voice assistant. Because it is 2024, obviously products without artificial intelligence assistants are not allowed to be launched.
You can interact with the mirror via voice and gestures so you don’t stain the glass. Make a fist or tap to take you back to the main menu; thumbs up to select.
As for health checks, the mirror will first ask you how you’re feeling. I responded that I was a little tired but excited to be at CES.
In response, it gave me a gratitude meditation, in which I was asked to close my eyes and think about moments today that made me happy—like interactions with loved ones. Then it told me to take a deep breath.
Here’s an example of BMind’s guided meditation based on your mood, which includes affirmations and breathing. The idea is to incorporate a mindfulness practice into your mirror routine, whether or not you’re also using this time for skin care.
Barracoda BMind wants you to glow from the inside out through meditation and skin care routines.
Photo credit: Cecily Mauran/Mashable
Like other AI assistants, you can ask the mirror about anything, such as the weather. Unlike many AI voice assistants, Baracoda’s proprietary operating system, CareOS, takes privacy seriously – as most of our screen time is private.
“It’s placed in your bathroom, so we’re very careful about sharing data,” said lead product manager Huong Le Dieu. “We only connect to the internet when the user asks for it.”
The generative AI models powering the assistant live locally on the device; yes, you can only connect to the network by opening the accompanying app and opting in.
Unfortunately, you can’t buy the Smart Mirror directly through Baracoda. As a B2B business, it works directly with mirror manufacturers — but that could also mean you’ll soon see its technology showing up in mirrors from smart home brands.
Until then, we’ll have to settle for plain old dumb mirrors.
