I've seen enough smart glasses, watches and rings to know that they don't usually like playing together well. And it's not just a question of combining interfaces -- connection issues come up, too. Bluetooth connections can be janky, for example, especially when handling multiple devices.
I wasn't aware of Ixana or Wi-R before. It's a wireless protocol and chipset designed for extremely short-range connections, with higher bandwidth and lower latency between devices. For several years, the Indiana-based startup has been advancing these device-connecting ideas, including defense-focused work with the US Air Force and US Army. But now Ixana's team says it's ready to develop a more advanced version of its chipset that would allow glasses, watches, rings, earbuds and other wearables to share up to 20 megabits per second of bandwidth with one another, as long as they're in close proximity on your body.
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I met with Shreyas Sen, Ixana's founder and CTO, and Bob Twomey, VP of worldwide sales, at CES 2026 to break down the idea of the technology and what it could achieve. It genuinely sounds like the next-generation local wireless personal network I've been hoping for -- one that would let my wearables communicate directly without relying on Bluetooth.
Me testing Ixana's prototype pendant and wireless earbuds for audio streaming over the Wi-R body network. The connection dropped just a few centimeters beyond my body but automatically reconnected once back in range. Scott Stein/CNET
The demos I saw in the in a Las Vegas hotel suite were limited, but they already have me excited about the possibilities the technology opens up. I wore special prototype earbuds and a music pendant equipped with Wi-R compatibility and heard music playing, although it cut out when I moved the earbuds a certain distance away from my body.
In another demo, an Ixana team member wearing prototype dual smart bands, a pendant, smart glasses and earbuds showed me how information could be shared across all the devices with a combined 5 Mbps data throughput. While that isn't much bandwidth for data-heavy tasks like streaming video, it could be enough to let sensor data, music and other information flow between wearables without breaking their connection.
Some of the military communication equipment tech Ixana currently works on. Wi-R promises no radiation of information beyond a small personal radius, making operations more secure. Scott Stein/CNET
Wi-R can work at distances of up to 5 centimeters from your skin, so it should still function through clothing or even heavy jackets. Some of the military equipment Ixana showed me already is made to work in that capacity.
It doesn't radiate a signal beyond that short range, which could make it a more secure and private personal body network. That's something Ixana leans on for its military-focused projects, Twomy and Sen tell me.
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