Agora’s real-time interaction platform is an artificial intelligence (AI) powered smart cane developed by Lgenie, which allows adults to interact with the device through less invasive voice conversations designed for outdoor and everyday use.
The collaboration highlights a broader shift in AI adoption, as developers increasingly embed conversational AI into wearable devices used in healthcare, smart homes, education, robotics, and mobility instead of limiting the technology to chatbots and software applications.
“The smart cane is one of the first examples of AI moving from screens to the physical world. The technology adapts to the person, instead of expecting the person to adapt to the technology,” said Agora Physical AI Product Manager Xiao Dong Feng in an email interview with BusinessWorld.
The AI-powered smart cane designed to support older adults allows users to ask questions and seek help through natural voice conversations while walking, without having to stop and use a smartphone or other screen-based device.
Mr. Feng said the challenge is not to build a smart AI model, but to ensure that the device remains reliable in real-world situations.
“An adult does not judge a product by the sophistication of the model, they judge it by whether it responds when they are standing at a busy intersection, whether they can still hear it when there is traffic noise, or whether they have to repeat themselves many times before getting an answer,” he said.
Lgenie has integrated the Agora Chat Engine to improve reliability, which includes speech recognition, speech activity detection, and full duplex voice streaming to support low-latency conversations, real-time interference, and stable audio performance even under changing network conditions.
According to Agora, the deployment achieved an average response latency of 400 milliseconds, while also improving chat stability and managing interruptions during user interactions.
Mr. Feng said that making conversations feel natural is equally important because users should be able to talk the way they normally do instead of adjusting their behavior to technology.
“Good AI answers questions, but good AI reduces skepticism. When people stop wondering if AI will understand them and start talking, that’s when the technology starts to feel really useful,” he said.
He added that users who first spoke carefully into the device eventually became comfortable interrupting the AI, asking follow-up questions, and changing topics naturally.
“People don’t consciously think about trusting technology. Trust grows when they stop thinking about technology altogether,” said Mr. Feng.
Agora said AI-powered assistive devices could play a growing role in countries like the Philippines, where the elderly population is expected to grow in the coming years.
The company said the Philippines is expected to become an aging society by 2030, with people aged 60 and over accounting for more than 10% of the population. At the same time, smartphone adoption is expected to reach 92% by 2030, while more than half of mobile connections are expected to operate on 5G networks.
Mr. Feng said AI should complement rather than replace caregivers by providing assistance beyond the times when family members are physically present.
“Family members provide empathy, judgment, and emotional support that technology cannot replace. Where AI can make a meaningful contribution is in extending care beyond the times when the caregiver is physically present,” he said.
Looking ahead, Mr. Feng said the next phase of AI development will focus less on making models more intelligent and making AI reliable enough to be integrated naturally into everyday life.
“The best AI won’t always want our attention,” he said. “It will provide silent support at times when it is of real help.”
Through its partnership with Lgenie, Agora said it aims to expand the use of conversational AI across life, education, smart home technology, mobility, and other connected devices that require reliable real-time interaction. – Kaizzer Angela Marie V. Manuba
