Ai Pin is a small computer that can be attached to a blouse, which has an integrated virtual assistant that benefits from data from OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and others. With this data, Ai Pin can answer questions and perform multiple tasks.
Ai Pin is in the form of a badge that attaches to clothes with the help of magnets, writes the Seattle Times.
Its main purpose is to perform certain tasks that you usually do with your smartphone. These include taking notes, surfing the Internet, and capturing images.
The smart badge that aims to replace the smartphone
Instead of a screen, the badge projects a green laser onto the user’s hand to show texts. The device includes a camera, speaker and cellular connection.
The smart badge that aims to replace the smartphone was created by the startup Humane. It already attracted attention when it was unveiled at the end of last year. Sam Altman, the CEO of Open AI, and companies such as Microsoft and Salesforce have invested up to $240 million in Humane.
According to Humane, Ai Pin’s goal is to provide technology that helps people avoid screens and maintain eye contact with other people.
Ai Pin is available for $700, plus a $24 monthly subscription to use data services. It also includes a T-Mobile mobile subscription.
Humane was founded by couple Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, former Apple employees.
“It’s an adventure, we’re just at the beginning,” Bongiorno said. “The first version is never the final version of the vision.”
Since Ai Pin doesn’t have a screen, users create their accounts and choose other settings on the Humane website. To unlock the device with a passcode, you have to hold your hand out to project a laser onto your palm. Reaching out increases the number, while moving it closer to the device decreases it. Thus, you can select each number by sticking 2 fingers from the same hand.
The laser can be used to change other settings as well. Among them are the Wi-Fi network and the transcription of the voice responses of the virtual assistant. The Ai Pin smart badge has a laser that cannot be used for more than 9 minutes. But this time can vary.
Ai Pin has already attracted the attention of investors
In 2023, Humane performed a demonstration at a TED event where it showed off the first device. Pictures from the event hit the Internet before the official launch. The presentation was made by Humane president and former Apple design director Imran Chaudhri.
Images with the smart badge have gone viral on Twitter. The device attaches to clothing in the chest area, similar to sci-fi technology seen in projects like Star Trek. Users can interact with it through taps and voice commands.
“It’s a new type of wearable and a platform that was built completely from the ground up for artificial intelligence,” said Chaudhri. “And it stands on its own. You don’t need a smartphone or any other device for it.”
It seems that this device works like a tech assistant like Alexa or Google Assistant, but which is wearable. With it, users can access “email, calendar, and messages,” among other things. The AI device can answer questions and provide information based on users’ needs.
