Humane, a secretive hardware startup founded by former Apple design and engineering duo Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, has finally unveiled its first product: the Humane Ai Pin.
Since its establishment in 2018, Humane has remained tight-lipped about its work, but it has managed to recruit numerous ex-Apple employees responsible for significant elements of the iPhone’s success, such as the touchscreen keyboard, industrial design, and infrastructure for services like iCloud, Apple Pay, and Home.
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The Humane Ai Pin is a wearable device featuring a projected display and AI-powered functionalities. During a recent TED Talk, Chaudhri showcased a live demo of the device, and now the company has released further details through a press release.
Described as a “connected and intelligent clothing-based wearable device,” the Ai Pin incorporates an array of sensors that facilitate contextual and ambient interactions.
This standalone device utilizes AI to deliver innovative personal computing experiences, minimizing the need for complex gestures or voice commands.
By simply tapping the Ai Pin, which can be clipped to a shirt pocket, users can access a summary of emails and calendar invites, make phone calls, and even perform language translations.
Equipped with a camera and computer vision software, the Ai Pin is capable of object recognition, including food nutrition labels.
Moreover, its built-in projector and depth sensor enable the device to project an interactive interface onto nearby surfaces, such as the palm of a hand or a table.
Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno expressed their excitement about the Ai Pin’s potential, stating, “Our Ai Pin presents an opportunity for people to take AI with them everywhere and to unlock a new era of personal mobile computing which is seamless, screenless, and sensing.”
Humane has also announced its collaboration with Qualcomm to develop the internal hardware of the Ai Pin. The wearable will be powered by an unnamed chip from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon series, with further details to be revealed in the coming months leading up to the device’s launch.
Ziad Asghar, Qualcomm’s SVP of product management, commented on the collaboration, saying, “Humane’s Ai Pin will deliver a superior AI experience. With the advent of generative AI, Humane’s Ai Pin and user experience take excellent advantage of on-device AI’s key strengths and use real-time contextual information to provide exciting and personalized AI use cases.”
Additionally, Humane has secured partnerships with SK Networks and Microsoft for platform development and distribution. Microsoft will provide cloud processing power, while SK Networks will handle distribution.
OpenAI is also collaborating with Humane to integrate its technology into the startup’s device, although the specific details are yet to be disclosed.
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Furthermore, Humane is engaged in research and development projects with LG for the next phase of its product life cycle, as well as adapting its technology for smart home devices. Volvo is also exploring a potential partnership with Humane for the automotive industry.
To date, Humane has raised an impressive $230 million in funding from notable investors, including Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Kindred Ventures, SK Networks, LG Technology Ventures, Microsoft, Volvo Cars Tech Fund, Tiger Global, Qualcomm Ventures, and OpenAI CEO and co-founder Sam Altman.
