Humane, a startup founded by former Apple employees, recently showed off a live demo of a new standalone wearable device designed to act as a personal assistant with AI capabilities. This tiny unit can provide an overview of emails, calendar invitations, and messages, identify objects, translate them, and even project a screen onto a nearby surface. The Barge.
Led by Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, Humane aims to design AI assistants that are as human-like as the company name suggests. The company recently demonstrated the device’s capabilities in his TED Talk. The prototype can be controlled using voice (with microphone) and gesture (with camera) commands. This is how humans interact with each other. Meanwhile, his AI capabilities in the product can put the information it receives into context.
For example, Humane’s device cameras can identify objects in the user’s environment. A chocolate bar can advise the user if it is suitable for consumption based on the owner’s dietary requirements.
Meanwhile, AI-powered features allow wearables to give users an overview of their emails, calendar events, and messages for a personalized experience. Additionally, the device can translate spoken text, further highlighting its potential as a versatile personal assistant to her.
Although the device doesn’t have its own screen, one of its notable features is the ability to project its screen onto a nearby surface to compensate for its lack of its own display. This feature allows users to interact with content in a way that is arguably more flexible than a touchscreen. However, it remains unclear what happens when there is no suitable surface nearby. Smartphones also offer more or less private screens, which Humane’s products lack.
Despite the impressive array of features offered by Humane’s wearables, their ability to compete with smartphones in terms of usability and convenience is yet to be seen. Providing adequate performance for many tasks, it has become an essential part of modern life. It is unclear whether the combination of projected screens and human wearable speakers can provide a similarly good user experience.
However, while Humane’s devices may not make it into the mainstream market to challenge smartphones and smartwatches, they can certainly be used in various niche markets to help professionals in different fields.
