Humane’s AI Pin is here to replace our smartphones
While the form factor and design of our phones have evolved over the years, they’re still largely similar in concept where they’re a device that we hold and interact with in our hands. Humane is here to challenge that notion with the announcement of the AI Pin, a wearable that we clip onto our clothes.
Humane, for those unfamiliar, is a startup led by former Apple employees. The AI Pin is a badge that is worn on our clothes that is reminiscent of a Star Trek communicator. It does not have a screen nor does it have its own app store, meaning that it only does whatever the company thinks it should do.
It runs on an operating system called Cosmos which relies heavily on AI to accomplish the desired task, meaning that while there are no apps (at least not in the traditional sense) that users can download to do specific things, it will still be capable of getting the job done. There is a camera that can be used to identify objects around the user, and if users need to see information like their messages, there is a built-in projector that can beam the software’s interface onto your hand.
This interface can be interacted with through hand and finger gestures which is actually pretty cool if it actually works as advertised. There is also a microphone for users to issue commands and it can also double up as a translator where it can detect a foreign language being spoken and translate it into English.
It’s a very interesting approach, but it could be a hard sell. Many of us are used to our phones and how we use them on a daily basis, so it’s hard to imagine giving up all of that so suddenly.
Humane is expected to start selling the AI Pin on the 16th of November where it will be priced at $699, but it will also require a cellular connection that will cost $24 per month which also includes access to a bunch of AI tools.