Product attributes
The Ai Pin is a wearable gadget developed by Humane Inc. with a projected display and AI-powered features intended to act as a personal assistant. The Ai Pin is a square device and battery pack that attaches to the user's clothes (as well as other surfaces) while being controlled with a combination of voice control, a camera, gestures, and a small built-in projector. The Ai Pin connects to AI models, with reports the device is primarily powered by OpenAI's GPT-4. The device's operating system (called Cosmos) routes queries to the right tools rather than the user asking to download and manage apps. The Ai Pin has been described as a new form factor for gadgets and a potential replacement for screen-based devices, such as smartphones.
The Humane Ai Pin wearable device.
Humane first demonstrated the device in a TedTalk on April 20, 2023. Humane cofounder Imran Chaudhri wore the device in the breast pocket of his jacket during the talk, showcasing a range of use cases. The device's name was first revealed by Humane on June 30, 2023, and the device was launched on November 9, 2023. The announcement states the device's price starts at $699, with orders starting in the US on November 16, 2023. The first batch of devices consisted of 100,000 units. The Ai Pin requires a $24 monthly Humane subscription that gives the user a phone number and data coverage through T-Mobile’s network.
Use cases of the Ai Pin, demonstrated during the original TedTalk and highlighted during its launch include the following:
- Answering phonecalls using hand gestures and the laser display
- Translating sentences
- Catching up on notifications
- Asking questions with responses using an AI-generated voice
- Remembering interactions and uses to provide user-specific contextual experiences
- Returning ingredients on food products viewed using the device's camera
The Ai Pin can be controlled using the touchpad and a series of gestures, both one-finger and two-fingers.
The AI Pin is powered by a Snapdragon processor and comes with 32GB of local storage and 4GB of RAM. The Ai Pin weighs 34.2g with a size of 44.5 x 47.5 x 14.98 mm. The battery booster weighs an additional 20.5 g with roughly the same surface area and a thickness of 8.25 mm.
Size and weight of the Ai Pin and Battery Booster.
The Ai Pin is attached to clothing and other surfaces using a magnet array. The device is powered by a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion with wireless charging. The wide-angled camera (120o FOV) provides 13-megapixel images. The laser ink display is designed to track the user's palm, making their hand the canvas for text, graphics, and UI elements. The projection system has 720p resolution and operates at a distance of 20 to 40cm.
Demonstration of the Humane Ai Pin laser display.
The device does not continuously collect data and requires the user to manually tap the touchpad to activate it (it does not use a wake word). The Pin has what Humane describes as a "trust light" that blinks to show the user it is collecting data.
Humane was founded by ex-Apple employees Bethany Bongiorno (CEO) and Imran Chaudhri (chairman and president) in 2018. The start-up made statements about its “mission to reimagine computing” and making “Products that put us back in touch with ourselves, each other, and the world around us,” but did not release details about its work for a number of years. Patents filed by the company in 2020 and obtained in January 2022 revealed the company was working on a “wearable multimedia device and cloud computing platform with laser projection system.” The device also features a camera, 3D camera, and depth sensor that are used to recognize gestures made by the user's hands. The patent also revealed that the device will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8xx chip. A 2021 leaked pitch deck, reported on in March 2023, confirmed details reported from the patents.
On April 20, 2023, Chaudhri first demoed the device during a TED talk titled “The Disappearing Computer: An Exclusive Preview of Humane’s Screenless Tech.” During the talk, Chaudri described the device as:
a new kind of wearable device and platform that’s built entirely from the ground up for artificial intelligence... And it’s completely standalone. You don’t need a smartphone or any other device to pair with it.
During the talk, Chadufri wore the device in the breast pocket of his jacket, demonstrating a range of functionality:
- Taking a phone call with the device projecting the caller's name and icons to answer or ignore the call on his hand.
- Holding a finger on the device to activate it and ask a question about where to buy a gift. The device returned the name of a shopping district.
- Translating a sentence into another language by tapping two fingers on the device and speaking. The device uses an AI-generated clone of his voice.
- Holding one finger on the device and saying, “Catch me up.” The device returned a summary of recent emails, calendar events, and messages.
- Holding a chocolate bar in front of the device, pressing and holding one finger on the device while asking, “Can I eat this?” The device returns that he should not because of his food allergy.
On June 30, 2023, Humane announced the device would be called the Humane Ai Pin, a new standalone device with a software platform powered by AI. It will be a clothing-based wearable device with a range of sensors for contextual interactions. The announcement also confirmed that Humane is working with Qualcomm and that an advanced Snapdragon platform will power the device. The device was launched on November 9, 2023. Users were able to sign up for priority access, with orders beginning in the US on November 16, 2023.
