Milo Looks to Replace Your Radio with a Hands-Free, Encrypted, Mesh Group Chat

San Francisco-based Milo has launched a crowdfunding campaign for its eponymous voice chat gadget, designed for outdoor adventurers to stay in contact hands-free and without the need for Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity.

"With sophisticated wireless networking, audio processing and hardware, carefully crafted design and a set of groundbreaking technologies, we'd like to introduce Milo - The Action Communicator," says Peter Celinski of the launch. "Milo lets you speak with your group naturally and hands-free so you can keep your eyes on your surroundings and your hands on the handlebars or ski poles. Milo makes it possible to truly share adventures with friends and family."

"Clip on your Milo and you’re ready to go — simply talk and hear everyone in your group, like being near each other even when apart. Milo gives you voice notifications about battery level, successful grouping confirmation, when someone goes out of range or re-joins your group, and more."

Designed to replace push-to-talk walkie-talkie radios, the Milo is built around six digital microphones and an amplified speaker - though Bluetooth connectivity is provided for those who would prefer to use a headset, along with an analogue input for wired headphones. The hardware is driven by a Linux-based operating system running on a quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 system-on-chip with single Cortex-M7 coprocessor.

Networking between Milo units comes courtesy of the company's in-house MiloNet ad-hoc sub-GHz and 2.4GHz dual-band mesh system, offering seamless communication providing no Milo is more than 2,000 feet from the nearest other Milo, and all communications are encrypted for privacy and security.

The company is launching Milo via Kickstarter, with rewards starting at $169 for a single unit or $319 for a twin-pack. Delivery is scheduled for December this year.