We build AI that learns a person's real life and helps in ways that matter — then checks whether the help actually helped. Our first project, Tombi, is made for later life.
Tombi — a pendant that listens, learns and gently helpsMost of what AI offers us today is convenience: a faster answer, a shorter task, one less thing to think about. It is easy to consume, and we do — without noticing how quietly it reshapes the way we live, what we remember, and what we stop doing for ourselves.
We started Chamomile Lab because we believe the same technology can do something more worthwhile. Instead of doing things for people, it can learn a person's environment and lifestyle, understand what they are trying to do, and help them get there — in their own way, at their own pace.
Our goal is a physical device that learns your life on its own, offers meaningful and personal assistance, and grows with you — checking, over time, whether its help is making a real difference.
That last part matters most to us. Suggestions that nobody follows up on rarely change anything. So we are building technology that remembers what it suggested, notices what happened next, and adjusts — the way a good coach does.
It picks up routines, places and people from everyday life — no forms, no setup marathon.
A reminder, a nudge or a suggestion arrives when it is useful, not on a schedule that suits a machine.
Every suggestion is built on what this person said, did and wants — never a generic template.
It follows up, measures whether its help is working, and changes course when it isn't.
Tombi is a small pendant worn all day, an app on the phone, and — most of all — a coaching system built for older adults and the people who care about them.
We call Tombi a project, not a product, on purpose. The pendant is one component of many. The real technology is the software.
A better piece of hardware can always be built by a bigger company. What cannot be copied quickly is what Tombi does with what it hears and senses: a coaching and assistance framework designed for later life, many interconnected data sets from different sensors alongside voice, and coaching that is self-learned and personally tailored for elderly and vulnerable people.
That is where Chamomile Lab invests its effort, and where our patent filings are focused.
Four of the five layers are software. The pendant exists so the software can be present in a person's day.
Tombi hangs on a cord and stays out of the way. It listens for its name, understands the moment, and speaks only when it has something worth saying. There is no screen to learn and nothing to tap.
The Tombi app keeps things simple: what's next today, the plans Tombi has confirmed with you, and whether the pendant is working. Family members, with permission, see only what the wearer chooses to share.
Today — the one screen the wearer needs: is Tombi working, and what's next.
Plans — only what Tombi has confirmed with you. Nothing is added behind your back.
Family view — with the wearer's permission: location and safety updates, nothing more.
Robert, 78, lives by himself. Tombi keeps his medication routine on track, notices when his day drifts from its usual pattern, and gives his daughter quiet reassurance without turning her into a monitor.
Margaret, 71, has a calendar fuller than her children's: choir, volunteering, grandchildren, appointments. Tombi remembers what she said she would do, reminds her at the right moment, and helps her plan ahead.
Medication, appointments, calls, the bus to catch — spoken by the pendant at the right moment, even when the phone is in another room.
“Hey Tombi, remind me to call Mina tomorrow afternoon.” Tombi confirms it, and it appears in your plans. No typing, no menus.
Tombi helps with daily life first. Once it has earned trust, it offers small, personal suggestions — sparingly — and follows up to see if they helped.
Tombi begins with a brief, research-based baseline so its first suggestions already fit you, and keeps refining as it learns your routines.
Tombi senses how responsive you are through everyday sound alone, with no tests or quizzes, and chooses its moments accordingly.
Audio is processed briefly and not kept by default. Anything sensitive is saved only after you confirm it. Other people's voices are never used to identify them.
With the wearer's permission, see that the pendant is worn, where they are, and that today is going as planned. Conversations are never shared.
If the day drifts from its usual pattern — an unusual absence, a missed routine — the people the wearer chose are told.
Appointments and commitments the wearer has confirmed can be visible to family, so nobody has to ask twice.
Tombi adapts as circumstances change — more structure when it is needed, less when it isn't — while the wearer stays in charge of what is shared.
Tombi launches in English and Korean, for families who live between two languages.
Tombi is being built in the open. Here is what is done, what we are doing now, and what stands between us and shipping.
Pre-sale opens soon for the first 1,000 users. Join the list and you will be first to know — and first in line.