The 'Humane AI Pin': A Screenless Voice Assistant

  Humane

The tech world is buzzing about a new device, the “Humane AI Pin”, which aims to replace smartphones. Despite its lofty intentions and a price tag of $700, the device is essentially a screenless voice assistant box with some AI features.

A Blend of Old and New

The Humane AI Pin combines elements of Google Glass and a 1990s pager. It’s equipped with a microphone, speaker, and camera. Users interact with the device by pressing a button to speak and receiving a response back. However, the device also features a 720p laser projection system that can project a basic user interface onto the user’s hand.

Limited Functionality and No Apps

Despite its futuristic design, the Humane AI Pin doesn’t support any apps. Users are limited to the features and services built into the Android-based “Cosmos” OS. For instance, if a user wants to play music, it has to be from Tidal, a service with minimal market share, because of a partnership with Humane. It’s unclear if there is any other third-party functionality.

Cryptic Communication

The device, lacking a screen, communicates via a series of blinking lights in different colors and locations on the device. Users need to learn 11 color/location combinations to understand the device’s signals. Also, without a touchscreen, input is done through seven tap or swipe gestures on the front of the device, making interactions quite complex.

The Hardware Specs

The Humane AI Pin, an aluminum and glass box, runs on an eight-core, 2.1 GHz Qualcomm processor. It has 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The device is kept on the user’s shirt via a magnetic clip. It has a low-profile magnet and a “battery booster” back, which wirelessly transfers electricity through the user’s shirt. The device comes with a battery booster and a charging case, similar to that of AirPods.

Voice Commands and Subscription

The device responds to voice commands. However, response times shown in the official video are not impressive, with the device taking several seconds to come back with a reply. Moreover, voice responses only work while the device is online. The device has an always-on T-Mobile connection that costs $24 a month, a fee that is mandatory even if the device is connected to Wi-Fi. Some of this fee presumably goes to Humane to cover voice and AI compute costs.