Innovation of the week: An inconspicuous personal assistant that whispers advice in your ear

This device acts as an assistant that never quits.

A new Siri-like personal assistant promises to whisper helpful advice in your ear, said John Markoff in The New York Times. The MyMe, an inconspicuous pendant that clips to a collar or belt, observes the world around you and crunches the data for insights, then dishes out counsel through a Bluetooth earpiece. For example, it can analyze the facial expressions of those around you or automatically catalog everything you eat.

To allay privacy fears, the device only processes data "on the fly," without actually saving any images or sounds. "One of the most interesting" applications is MyMe's ability to generate a "word cloud" from a conversation, allowing users to dissect and analyze discussions later without recording them. Built by Israeli technology firm OrCam, MyMe is expected to be available in the fall of 2016; the company hasn't yet announced a price.