A startup company called Humane, founded by two former Apple employees, has recently started selling a compact device, the Ai Pin, which magnetically attaches to clothing. The aim of this company is to prove to itself that artificial intelligence is sufficient to make traditional smartphone use unnecessary and that it can be commercially successful, despite the hype that has surrounded the company for months.
The device produced by Humane, the Ai Pin, has no display but is equipped with a camera, speaker and laser projector. It is attached to clothing with a magnet and worn at chest height. The Ai Pin is operated by voice commands or hand gestures. A revolutionary detail is that the magnet that secures the device also acts as a replaceable battery for the power supply.
The included camera serves as the eye of the device’s artificial intelligence and enables the software to recognize objects. Imran Chaudhri, co-founder of Humane, demonstrated this ability by picking up a handful of almonds and asking the device for the protein content. The device recognized the exact amount of almonds and responded with “15 grams”. As the device can also process online orders, Chaudhri took the opportunity to show the Ai Pin a book and order it online.
In terms of data protection, the recordings from the camera and microphone are stored exclusively on the device and in a cloud storage space. This space is only accessible to the specific user, as Chaudhri emphasized in an interview with technology journalist Om Malik.
The idea of giving software access to up-to-date contextual information is also being embraced by other AI developers such as Meta and Rewind AI. Meta is already selling second-generation Ray-Ban glasses with a camera and microphone in the US, while startup Rewind AI is working on selling a pendant that records and transcribes all sounds and conversations.
Real-time translation between English and Spanish was also demonstrated in the Ai Pin. When users hold their palm in front of the projector, information such as the time, weather or music information is displayed on their skin. The Ai Pin can also connect wirelessly to headphones and access the music streaming service Tidal.
Humane is initially only selling the Ai Pin in the USA. The price is 699 dollars, plus a monthly charge of 24 dollars for the mobile connection. When it comes to artificial intelligence, Humane is working with OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, among others. The CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, is also an investor in Humane.
