Luo Yonghao’s Online Disputes Spark Buzz as Thin Red Line’s $50M AIHardware Surfaces

Chinese entrepreneur Luo Yonghao has been unusually active

online. He renamed his Weibo account to “Luo Yonghao’s Crossroads,” launched a

podcast under the same name, endorsed instant noodles, and most recently

engaged in a public spat with restaurant chain Xibei, all of which have drawn widespread attention.

Behind the scenes, Luo is also advancing his AI hardware startup. According to leaks

from XR Vision, images have surfaced of a device reportedly in development by his

company Thin Red Line. The product resembles card-style voice recorders such as

Plaud or TicNote, with a magnetic design and a striking orange finish that

coincidentally matches the recently launched iPhone 17 Pro “Starlight Orange.”

The device features the “JARVIS” logo, echoing Thin Red Line’s January 2025

release of “Jarvis1 Assistant,” a software beta integrating voice interaction, task

management, and intelligent search with a skeuomorphic interface inspired by Luo’s

former Smartisan smartphones.

Hardware details reveal a slim dual-glass body with a circular fingerprint sensor on

the back for unlocking and activating voice commands. Two microphones above and

below the sensor enable audio capture, while side buttons, a Type-C port, and a

speaker complete the design. Unlike Plaud, however, the JARVIS device is not

positioned as a portable recorder. Instead, it functions as a screenless, AIOS-

powered standalone device, capable of connecting to smartphones via Bluetooth.

Luo’s broader ambition remains the creation of AIOS for smartphones. Yet, as he has

openly acknowledged, app-level restrictions and the lack of system-level permissions

from major phone manufacturers limit its potential. The new hardware may represent

his attempt to bypass these constraints and deliver AI-native interactions at the

device level.