Humane “Ai Pin” Gadget Is Coming This Year

Hardware startup Humane has unveiled its first product, the Humane Ai Pin. The invention is a clothing-based standalone device with a software platform that will enable wearers to harness the power of AI. The device, developed in partnership with Qualcomm Technologies, is slated to launch later this year.

“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 co-founders Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno said in a press release.

Qualcomm’s advanced Snapdragon series platform powers the Humane Ai Pin. According to Ziad Asghar, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Qualcomm Technologies, the Ai Pin will deliver a “superior AI experience.” It relies on a suite of sensors that enable “innovative personal computing experiences.”

During his April TED Talk, Imran Chaudhri, one part of the company’s design and engineering duo, gave his audience an exclusive glimpse into some of these interactions.

The device, unnamed at the time, resembled a deck of cards, but the name revelation implies that it was presumably a prototype and that users will likely be able to pin it to their clothes rather than store it in a pocket. Unlike a traditional phone screen, the device boasts a built-in projector and depth sensor, enabling it to project a small screen onto a hand.

Chaudhri showed the audience that the device can make phone calls, summarize emails and calendar invites, function as a voice assistant, and translate between languages, among other things. Chaudhri also used the device’s camera to take a picture of a chocolate bar and receive nutrition information. In a nutshell, the Ai Pin will perform typical smartphone tasks with fewer touch and voice commands.

Humane has brought dozens of ex-Apple employees to its over 200-person team. These professionals come from various Apple departments, including touchscreen keyboards, industrial design, and infrastructure for products like Apple Pay, Home, and iCloud.

Since its founding in 2018, Humane has kept its work quite secretive. The company hasn’t launched any products yet, but it has collaborated with many well-known names, including SK Networks and Microsoft, OpenAI, LG, and Volvo.

A variety of corporations and individuals have backed the San Francisco-based startup with $230 million so far, including Microsoft, LG Technology Ventures, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, and OpenAI’s co-founder and CEO Sam Altman.