Humane AI Pin is a new wearable device that has been making waves in the tech world. It is a screenless voice assistant box that comes with some AI capabilities. The device is priced at $700 and is designed to be worn on your clothing like a name tag. It has a magnetic back that allows it to stick to your clothing.
The Humane AI Pin has no screen, no apps, and a creepy in-your-face camera. It has a microphone and speaker, and you’ll be pressing a button to speak to it, and you’ll get a response back. There’s also a camera, and because you’re expected to mount this on your clothing at chest level via a magnetic back piece, you’ll be creepily pointing a camera at everyone the whole time you’re using it.
It claims to be “screenless,” but it has a pretty cool 720p laser projection system that seems to function as a fine monochrome screen that projects a smartwatch-like UI onto your hand. It shows some super basic UI elements, like a circular media player or a scrolling wall of text. A few hand gestures, like tapping your fingers together, will let you interact with it.
Despite claiming to be able to replace a smartphone, the Humane AI Pin is going back to the Dark Ages and not supporting any apps. You’ll be locked into whatever features and services Humane has built into the Android-based “Cosmos” OS. So if you want to play music, it needs to be from Tidal, a service with 0–2 percent market share, because that’s who the Humane people have partnered with. It’s unclear if there is any other third-party functionality other than that.
The Humane AI Pin is a bizarre cross between Google Glass and a pager. It’s a voice assistant box, so that means it has a microphone and speaker. There’s no hot word, and it’s not always listening, so you’ll be pressing a button to speak to it, and you’ll get a response back. There’s also a camera, and because you’re expected to mount this on your clothing at chest level via a magnetic back piece, you’ll be creepily pointing a camera at everyone the whole time you’re using it.
In conclusion, the Humane AI Pin is a unique device that has some interesting features. However, it is not a replacement for your smartphone, and it has some privacy concerns that need to be addressed. If you’re interested in wearable technology, the Humane AI Pin is definitely worth checking out.