With all the technology in our lives today, it can feel overwhelming trying to keep track of the apps we need to control the world around us. Chinese tech company UltraBar has spent the past few years searching for a way to reduce this digital clutter, and it's come up with an interesting solution – a modular system of smart blocks that lets you control everything at once.
UltraBar X is designed to serve as a "co-pilot," saving you from constantly moving your cursor around the screen, searching for apps, and diving into menus and settings. The creators promise it will free up 60% of the space on your desktop. The project was launched on Kickstarter and has already reached its funding goal.
We’ve seen similar devices before, but they typically serve only as computer accessories, meaning they rely entirely on the computer’s software. Once computer is off, they become useless. UltraBar X is different as it runs on its own operating system – LineOS – and can work independently.
The device consists of several elements, with the CoreBar being the main one. It weighs 250 grams (8.82 oz) and measures 199 x 50.4 x 59.6 mm (7.83 x 1.98 x 2.35 in). It features a speaker and a 7-inch LCD touchscreen that can display CPU load, memory usage, time, weather, music playback, your favorite apps ... you name it. But it’s not just a display – it’s a central hub that connects to your computer via USB-C and holds all the other elements together.
The additional modules – VivoCube, DotKey, SenseCube, and KnobKey – assemble into a single device by snapping together like Lego pieces. Each magnetic module weighs about 100 grams (3.5 oz), is easy to program through a mobile or desktop app, and can be arranged in any order you need.
Let’s look into what each element does.
VivoCube features a 2-inch AMOLED touchscreen that responds to taps and gestures. It has its own battery and connects to the CoreBar via Wi-Fi, which allows it to serve as a secondary display or a standalone controller. One touch can turn your monitor on and off, launch apps, or activate an entire personalized workflow by starting a few programs at once. You can open both Photoshop and Illustrator with a single tap, or instantly launch Zoom, Excel, and your browser just before a work meeting.
The creators also promise that a future AI engine will learn and predict your habits, automatically switching between the scenarios at a certain time. If you always finish work at 5 pm, for example, the system will close Teams, turn off your monitor, and start your evening playlist without you even touching a button.
SenseCube includes multiple sensors for temperature, light, and humidity, and responds when you tap the surface it’s placed on. Tapping can be programmed to set an alarm, play music, save a document, or mute your microphone. This module can also detect when you approach your computer and turn it on automatically, turn it off when you leave the desk, or remind you to take a break if you’ve been sitting still for too long.
DotKey looks the simplest of all three modules, featuring three programmable buttons. You can assign them to skip tracks, open apps, copy/paste, delete/save files, or perform any other quick command.
And finally, KnobKey has a rotary dial, designed for adjusting volume, screen brightness, AC temperature, or even brush size in Photoshop.
UltraBar X is compatible with Windows, iOS, Android, and doesn’t require any driver installation. Linux and macOS support are expected soon. Besides working with a computer, each cube can also connect to smart-home devices via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Instead of searching for different control apps on your phone, you can open your curtains with a tap on the Vivo Cube or dim the lights by twisting the KnobKey. UltraBar X already supports 90 platforms through its build-in app store, and the creators are working to expand this number.
If four modules don’t seem like enough to organize everything, you actually can connect up to 15 modules to the CoreBar and up to three to an independent VivoCube. At that point, the only unsolved problem will be remembering which block does what.
For now, UltraBar X modules come in green, gold, and black color choices, with more options planned in the future. You can mix and match them in any combination. The CoreBar and all four modules will cost US$469 for Kickstarter backers, which is 30% off the expected retail price. The basic set includes the CoreBar, DotKey, and KnobKey and will cost $269 for early-bird backers or $429 for regular orders.
Assuming the Kickstarter campaign is successful and everything stays on schedule, mass production and shipping will begin in April 2026.
Source: Kickstarter
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