"The Most Exciting Thing I’ve Ever Heard” - Live CES 2026 Reaction to Naqi’s Neural Earbuds
- Apr 13
- 2 min read
At CES 2026, a simple question turned into one of the most memorable moments of the show.
"What do you guys do?"
That's how the interview starts. No setup, no script. By the end, here's where it lands:
"This is the most exciting thing I've ever heard in my lifetime dealing with new product."
The interviewer says it after mentioning he's been doing this for almost 25 years and has interviewed hundreds of thousands of people. That's what makes this so meaningful.
Watch the interview below.
The reaction in real time
Sandeep Arya from Naqi Logix sits down and starts explaining what they've built. The interviewer reacts with disbelief:
"Wait a minute. Does this exist now?"
The earbuds let people control their devices like phones, computers, and even wheelchairs without touching anything, speaking, or looking at a screen. Instead, the system reads subtle facial micro-gestures and small head movements, turning them into real-time commands.
"This is something I am hearing and I cannot believe it."
That's the interviewer, mid-conversation.
Where the idea came from
The technology wasn't built in a corporate lab. Dave Segal built the first version after a quadriplegic friend told him he was considering a brain implant just to regain basic control of his digital life.
Dave's response was to find a completely different way. One that required no surgery, no implants, and could be used right away. That is where Naqi started.
Accessibility was the starting point. But Naqi's ability goes much further.
Sandeep describes it as a third arm. Anyone whose hands are full, whose voice isn't an option, or who can't reach a screen runs into the same gap. People have those moments more often than they realize.
Phone rings while you're carrying groceries. Music needs skipping mid-run. Meetings where you can't pull out your phone. Cooking with your hands busy. Holding a baby. Wearing gloves. Pushing a stroller. On the job site with your hands full.
Right now, the options are stop what you're doing, talk to a voice assistant, or reach for a screen that's nowhere near you. Most people hit those moments dozens of times a day and don't register them as friction. They've just accepted them as how things work.
Sandeep's own example from the interview: he's cooking on a Sunday, hands busy, watching a recipe video. Before he can finish step one, the video is already over. With the earbud, a blink pauses it.
Why now
Earbuds are already the most worn piece of technology on the planet. Billions of people put them in every day without thinking about it. Naqi's premise is simple: the device already in your ears can do far more than play audio.
It's discreet. Always there. And it runs on natural human signals instead of buttons or commands.
By the end of the conversation, the interviewer says he's heading straight to the booth.
Interview by PlugHitz / Tech Podcast Network
