Unveiling its maiden product, Humane, the brainchild of former Apple design and engineering team Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, introduced the world to the Humane AI Pin.
Established in 2018, Humane has kept its progress clandestine, revealing no products while assembling a team brimming with ex-Apple talent, many of whom worked on the iPhone's touchscreen keyboard and the infrastructure of key Apple services such as iCloud, Apple Pay, and Home.
The secret has now been unveiled: Humane's first product is a wearable gadget boasting a projected display and AI-driven features. Chaudhri had previously showcased the device during a TED Talk in April, but a press release circulated today provides deeper insight.
In its essence, the AI Pin is a smart, connected wearable device equipped with a plethora of sensors to enable intuitive and context-driven interactions. This standalone device, primed to be clipped to a shirt pocket, harnesses the power of AI to redefine personal computing experiences.
Setting aside the marketing talk, Humane's AI Pin promises to replicate a smartphone's functions with less need for gestures and voice commands. A simple tap can activate the device to display a summary of emails, translate languages, and manage phone calls.
Equipped with a camera and computer vision software, the AI Pin can recognize its surroundings, including food nutrition labels. Furthermore, it can project an interactive interface on nearby surfaces, such as your hand or a tabletop, using a built-in projector and depth sensor. As per Chaudhri and Bongiorno, the AI Pin symbolizes a novel era of mobile computing that is seamless, screen-less, and sensory.
Humane also announced its collaboration with Qualcomm for the development of the AI Pin's internal hardware. Powered by an undisclosed chip from Qualcomm's Snapdragon series, more details about the device are slated to be released later this year before its launch.
Humane's collaboration network doesn't end at Qualcomm. The startup is partnering with SK Networks and Microsoft for market introduction and cloud processing power, respectively. OpenAI will integrate its technology into Humane's device, and LG is supporting Humane on R&D for the next product phase and smart home adaptations. Humane's partnership with Volvo is set to yield offerings for the automotive industry.
Humane, based in San Francisco and boasting a workforce of over 200, has raised $230 million in funding to date. Notable investors include 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.
