Wearable “smart” technology isn’t a new idea by any stretch of the imagination. Fitbit long predated the original Apple Watch, and we’ve basically been able to outsource or remotely control functions of our smart phones for… well, nearly as long as we’ve owned smart phones. But it’s inevitable that new advances in tech will generate excitement around new product concepts – and since AI is on everyone’s mind lately – hey, wouldn’t it be cool if you could carry an AI assistant around on your clothing rather than on your wrist?
That’s the concept behind the Humane Ai Pin, which made a splash across the tech and fashion worlds last week when it landed at Coperni’s 2024 Spring Summer show on September 29 in accordance with Paris Fashion Week, where it was worn on the runway by several models – most notably, the famous Naomi Campbell.
Designer: Imran Chaudri and Stephanie Garcés (via Humane Ai)
Co-founded by accomplished ex-Apple design director Imran Chaudhri and ex-Apple engineering director Bethany Bongiorno, Humane Ai seems like it’s skirting away from direct competition against OpenAI, which is developing its own GPT-4-powered fitness wearable. This is because the Humane Ai Pin is meant to go anywhere but your wrist.
Instead, it functions as a high-tech lapel pin that’s a little bit bigger than a regular lapel pin – but thanks to its sleek and rounded design, it doesn’t even look out of place in today’s modern world. Not to mention, it’s purported to include a genuinely interesting feature that immediately leaps above everything else on the docket: a projection display that beams user interface elements and buttons onto your hands. You can see it in action during Chaudhri’s TED Talk in April 2023, titled “The disappearing computer — and a world where you can take AI everywhere“.
Alongside the Coperni reveal on September 29, Humane Ai put out its own press release where the company explained its vision for the pin, stating that “The Humane Ai Pin is the screenless, standalone device and software platform …designed to weave seamlessly into users’ day-to-day lives. The device is privacy-first, with aspects such as no wake word and therefore no ‘always on’ listening.”
Co-founders Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno also weighed in about their inspirations for the project, saying, “We have been admirers of Arnaud and Sébastien at Coperni for some time and our shared passion for the union of design, creativity and technology is at the heart of this collaboration. Our relationship with technology is changing profoundly, becoming even more personal as our devices morph into extensions of our bodies, minds and hearts.”
It sounds like we’ll be seeing hands-on details about the Humane Ai Pin on November 9, when the full unveiling of the new wearable is slated to take place.
