Humane, founded by former Apple executives, has officially announced its AI-Pin, which is said to be capable of performing AI-powered functions like optical recognition. In this era where companies are either developing their own AI or integrating AI into their products and services,
Co-founder Imran Chaudhri started publicly talking about the product during his TED Talk earlier this year, in May. The first look at Humane’s AI pin appeared at the Paris Fashion Show (Humane X Coperni), worn by supermodel Naomi Campbell. At first glance, it seems quite minimalistic, but it also appears to be taken directly from a sci-fi movie.
What is humane?
It is a stealthy software and hardware company founded in 2017 by former Apple employees Bethany Bongiorno and Imran Chaudhri. With a focus on AI-based technology advancements, the company aims to offer AI-based hardware products to benefit humanity. The company has already raised $30 million in Series A funding, $100 million in Series B funding, and an additional $100 million in May from Tiger Global Management, SoftBank Group, BOND, Forerunner Ventures, and Qualcomm Ventures.
Interestingly, OpenAI’s co-founder, Sam Altman, is also a key collaborator in this company. The company’s first products for consumers will be announced very soon, and it remains to be seen what they can do and how users will use them. The product itself bears a resemblance to Narrative Clip 2 and Google Clips.
What is Humane’s AI pin?
This wearable AI assistant comes with a mini projector, camera, and AI technology. This year, it is said to be unveiled to the public through factors that have never been seen before. Humane states it is a screenless, standalone device with a smartphone screen, camera, and speaker.
The software on this device has been built from scratch, and with this device, Humane is trying to improve mobile tasks for a screenless future. At this moment, despite the company’s aim to replace the smartphone, its usability does not offer the same experience as a mobile device. It is hard to get all the benefits of a typical smartphone, but it frees you from carrying one.
The device’s minimalist design has rounded-corner squares similar to a Star Trek: TNG-style communicator. Since no one has ever used this, we do not know much about the device’s functionality, whether it will have third-party app support, or how users will interact. At the top of Humane’s pin is a small black portion of glass that seems to be a dynamic island but is not. It consists of a projector that helps users angle it slightly downward towards the palm of their hands to project information.
The device’s design has a pill shape with a camera and projector at an angle. The pin is a rounded square, and the upper button may also work as a touch button, which is black or white. In addition to this, there is also a shiny metal frame complete with antenna lines around the perimeter. Looking at the patent for the battery, there is presumably a similarly sized square that we do not see underneath the shirt that is used to hold it.
You can use it as a wearable device on clothes, with a combination of different sensors enabling contextual and ambient computing interactions. It is primarily designed to integrate into users’ day-to-day tasks seamlessly. It does not need to be connected to smartphones to reduce reliance on smartphones.
Under the hood, the device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform. To address privacy concerns, this device does not have trigger words to wake up and no always-on listening. We are still determining exactly what new features it will bring and the use-case scenarios. Furthermore, a limited number of devices can be attached to your dress.
Humane’s Launch Date
The company has scheduled it to be fully launched on November 9. This device looks expensive, but since it is their first product, it could be affordable. Slowly and gradually, technology starts evolving, which can even fit into our outfits.
Furthermore, these can also be used to monitor their users’ health. With a creative and technology-forward company, they can potentially change the culture and the future.
We recently heard that OpenAI is working on some hardware products with ex-Apple executive Jony Ive. Details are not disclosed yet, but we may see a hardware report shortly. Companies are not ready to build AI-powered hardware products that would be more advanced but also have the capabilities to revolutionize the industry. It could be a potential competitor. This industry is still in the early stages, and we have to see if other tech giants like Apple, Microsoft, Google, Meta, Huawei, BBK Electronics, and others will have similar devices.