Startup by Ex-Apple Employees Demos AI-Powered Wearable Projector

Humane, a startup founded by former Apple employees, reportedly showed off its upcoming AI-powered wearable at a TED talk. The gadget demoed by ex-Apple employees Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno seems to follow voice and gesture commands and can project the screen onto nearby objects. It lacks a traditional touchscreen interface and during the presentation, Chaudhri wore the device in his breast pocket. Humane raised $100 million (roughly Rs. 800 crore) in March and it is expected to release its first products this spring.

In his TED talk this week (via Inverse), Humane cofounder Imran Chaudhri offered an early glimpse into the design and key specifications of the company’s AI-powered wearable. “It’s a new kind of wearable device, that and platform that’s built entirely from the ground up for artificial intelligence. And it’s completely standalone. You don’t need a smartphone or any other device to pair with it,” Chaudhri reportedly stated.

The device is shown to have a screen-less design and uses a combination of voice and gestures for input. During the presentation, Chaudhri is seen wearing the device in his pocket. Voice input was activated by tapping on the device and it reportedly translated his voice into French.

The wearable can display information by projecting it onto nearby surfaces. Chaudri displayed a phone call from Humane co-founder Bethany Bongiorno projected onto his palm. During the talk, he also took it off from his pocket and held it between his hands.

More details about the upcoming gadget is expected to be revealed in the coming months. The TED talk featuring Chaudhri will reportedly release on April 22.

Humane, was founded in 2018 by Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno. It raised $100 million (roughly Rs. 800 crore) last month taking the total value up to $241 million (roughly Rs. 2,000 crore). It is collaborating with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT and Microsoft.

The company also working with Korean electronics giant LG Electronics on “potential (research and development) projects for the next phase of Humane products” and with Volvo Car’s Tech Fund on “a potential future collaboration which would be the first example of Humane’s offering being applied to the automotive industry.”