Humane Debuts $700 AI Pin With 'Laser Ink Display'

[MacRumors]

Humane, a tech startup run by former Apple designer Imran Chaudhri and former Apple software manager Bethany Bongiorno, today officially unveiled its first product, the Ai Pin. Priced at $700, the Ai Pin is a standalone device that Humane says was built from the ground up for artificial intelligence.

The Ai Pin attaches to a clothing item using a magnetic system that involves a detachable battery, which is also how the device is powered. The idea is to swap the battery out for a new battery when necessary, resulting in what Humane calls a "perpetual power system." It is not clear how long each battery lasts.

Design wise, the Ai Pin looks something like an Apple Watch with a rounded rectangular shape, It is made from aluminum, comes in three colors, and has a Gorilla Glass touchpad. There's also an "optical sensing capsule," a 3D depth sensor, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip to power it.

A laser projector inside the Ai Pin can project information onto the user's hand, and it is necessary because there is no standard display on the device itself. Humane calls the laser projector system a "Laser Ink Display." Interacting with the Laser Ink Display can be done by rolling and tilting the hand, and selecting an item is done with a finger tap similar to the tap used for Apple's own Double Tap feature on Apple Watch.

Touching the Ai Pin and speaking activates the "Ai Mic" that can answer questions and help users find information, including details they have previously relayed to the device, such as reminders. It plays music through a "Personic Speaker" that creates a bubble of sound around the wearer, plus there is an Interpreter feature. Humane says that the Ai Pin is "fluent in many languages" and can translate spoken words in real-time. There are no apps, with all actions and functions accessed through the AI.

A built-in 13-megapixel ultra wide-angle camera can be used to capture photographs and videos, either using a two-finger double tap or a voice command. Photos can be viewed using the "Center" website on any web browser. Center also houses notes that have been taken, music listened to, reminders, and more.

Users can tell the Ai Pin about their activity and nutrition goals to keep tabs on their progress and better understand the energy they take in and put out. Holding up a food item to the Ai Pin will allow the device to provide nutritional information and can let a user know if it's "safe" to eat based on their health goals.

The device has cellular connectivity and can be used to answer phone calls from trusted contacts that are designated by the wearer. Humane says the Ai Pin is able to intelligently determine what takes priority if an untrusted contact calls or sends a message, allowing interactions such as a food delivery person arriving with an order. Calls and text messages can be sent using the Ai Pin, with messages composed through voice requests.

The Ai Pin cannot be activated without direct user interaction, so it is not listening or recording by default. When the camera, phone, or microphone are activated, there is a colored "Trust Light" that lets other people around the user know when the Ai Pin is in use.

Orders for the Ai Pin are set to begin in the United States on November 16. Ai Pin is priced at $700, and there is also a $24 monthly subscription required to use the device on the Humane network, which is powered by T-Mobile.

Article Link: Humane Debuts $700 AI Pin With 'Laser Ink Display'

 

[truthsteve]

this looks so bad and I feel so sorry for anyone who invested in this company and anyone who placed a preorder. lol

that projector on hand feature is a classic example of gimmick ideas.

what happens if they get on a crowded train and someone just snatches it

why would I want someone to listen to my phone calls

if I'm underground and there's no internet, how will this product be useful to me in getting directions or doing practically anything else other than taking video or listening to music.

I don't think they thought this product through.

 

[jeroenvip]

See if the laser actually could heat up my coffee mug, it would be worth spending money in it. I am also not sure of the AI pin is compatible with the apple cleaning cloth. I mean it will get dirty outside while wearing this.

 

[KENESS]

Some interesting technologies, kudos on that, but I feel like there are too many more misses than hits with this as a product, overall...

Any dramatically new type of device is going to have some misses, but as long as the hits outweigh them, it is probably ok. I'm not so sure about this one.

 

[jz0309]

Really, an AI pin? And $24/month to use it…
I rather save for the VPro…

 

[calimed]

I rarely ever comment on anything but this deserved one.

This is absolutely terrible. One of the worst product announcements I’ve ever seen. I would rather burn $700 to warm my hands on this cold night than spend money on this thing.

On a positive note this would have been amazing before the iPhone was invented. So kudos to whomever invented this, but it’s about a decade or so too late.

 

[jeroenvip]

When pointing the laser at a pile of wood. Would it light up so we can burn witches at the stake ?

 

[vegetassj4]

This has been done before...

Scotty...beam me up:

 

[Shasterball]

How many ways can one write: hard. pass.

 

[Analog Kid]

Technologically, this looks like quite an achievement, and there's a lot of interesting ideas bundled into it, but I really don't like talking to my technology...

But then I thought, "What if they'd integrated this same tech into an animatronic parrot that would sit on my shoulder?" I would have been all over it. Having my text messages read out in a parrot voice? Pure gold.

 

[DTphonehome]

I give them credit for trying something out of the box. If it can actually perform like they say it can, it can have its uses. Many people are tired of being locked to their smartphones. The laser display interface seems pretty cool.

 

[Criss P.]

WHY? Just.... WHY?

 

[paulvee]

I needed a good laugh tonight.

 

[Crow_Servo]

I love how the article describes the hardware in great detail before adequately explaining at all what this thing does. I was going, “okay, what’s this for?” Then it was explained, and yeah, sounds like a royal waste of money.

Is this somehow meant to replace smartphones? Seems like a big step backwards.

I almost thought it was going to act as some kind of new-age pager when they showed that laser projection feature. Didn’t see this thing coming, and probably won’t hear much about it beyond this article.

I guess we’re all wondering if something will hypothetically replace the modern smartphone someday, but I highly doubt this is it, or in the right ballpark.

 

[Crowbot]

I like the idea but the magnetic attachment is going to be a problem. I like the idea of the laser projector.

 

[cpnotebook80]

"Former apple designer" means they can perhaps charge whatever for something that we need?I can imagine someone snatching that off your shirt in public!

 

[athousandbands]

Assuming this interoperates with zero existing messaging apps? Etc etc into a walled garden of hell where nothing grows

 

[subjonas]

Interesting concept, but ultimately might be too niche. It might successfully compete with smartphones if tech was more advanced (assuming that is the goal), but I don’t think we’re even near to where it would need to be yet. The AI would have to be insanely good—basically like Jarvis or Her—to come close to completely replacing the need for a traditional screen. Also “personic speaker” that creates a bubble of sound? How is that physically possible? Of course, one could just use something like an AirPod for sound anyway. The other issue is that having to speak text to the device is not always practical. Maybe there could eventually be a hand gesture system to input text.

Still, pretty innovative and cool. With the ever decreasing number of small size phone options these days, if the tech was sufficient I would heavily consider moving over to one of these.

 

[frownface]

I was skeptical at first, but i thoguht maybe it could be edge case useful for some people.

Then i saw the $700 upfront & $24 subscription and nearly spat out my coffee.

The monthly subscription is doubly laughable, cause you just know the enitre thing is going to be junk when the company folds up in 8 months and your device no longer works because there's no active servers for it to connect to.

 

[uptownnyc]

I think it's an intriguing device. Saw it when it was first announced in the TED Talk. Yes - it's expensive, but it's a new and new things tend to cost more. Interested to see where it goes. I suspect there'll be more devices like this in the next few years.

 

[Kaszebe]

See if the laser actually could heat up my coffee mug, it would be worth spending money in it. I am also not sure of the AI pin is compatible with the apple cleaning cloth. I mean it will get dirty outside while wearing this.

I'd settle for a laser that could disintegrate my enemies using AI.

"There is that guy who cut you off in traffic 5 months ago. Would you like me to disintegrate him?"

"Yes, many thanks."

 

[boss.king]

From the demo, the April 2024 eclipse won’t be visible at all from Australia or East Timor.

Their main feature is a technology they don’t make. Nothing inherent to the tech they make is anything that can’t be done equally well or better on a smartphone.

I’m not sure what their funding runway is like but I’ll be surprised if this thing is around in two years.

 

[surfzen21]

Who needs a girlfriend when I can just get an AI pin 🤣

 

[Debauch]

How many ways can one write: hard. pass.

Hard pass.
Hard Pass.
Hard. Pass.
HARD PASS.
HARD pass.
Hard PASS.
HArd pa….

Oh hell, it doesn’t matter how many ways, all of them combined is not enough.

 

[antiprotest]

So inconvenient.

Also if I were to have a smart device like that, that is not a smartphone, I'd rather make it a fully waterproof necklace/pendant. That way it can be with me all the time, even in the shower, and I wouldn't have to think about it.

When I really need the display I can wear the pendant outside and I wouldn't need to stick it on my outer layer, and re-stick it if I take off my jacket, etc.

But it's stupid.