AI Projector Pin Made By Ex-Apple Execs Hits Runway, Rocked By Naomi Campbell

Amid the realms of tech innovation and fashion-forward thinking, Humane, a startup steered by ex-Apple executives, first made a striking entrance with its rather enigmatic device, ‘Ai Pin’, earlier this year. Now, ahead of its launch, its made its debut on the Paris Fashion Week runway.

So, what is Ai Pin? It’s a screenless device and software platform that utilizes artificial intelligence. An advanced Qualcomm Snapdragon platform is powering its capabilities, while its compact frame houses a mini-projector, camera, and speaker.

The Ai Pin offers AI-powered optical recognition, catering to privacy-conscious users without needing to use wake words or an “always on” listening mode.

Humane states, “the intelligent clothing-based wearable uses a range of sensors that enable natural and intuitive compute interactions and is designed to weave seamlessly into users’ day-to-day lives.”

That said, it’s still not entirely known what the device can do. Via a TED Talk about Ai Pin, one of its functions seems to be projecting calls onto your palm and performing AI translations using your own voice. Outside of that, it is unknown if it was made to replace smartphones or act as and aid like a smartwatch you can pin to your clothes.

Humane first debuted the device on the lapel of model Naomi Campbell during Coperni’s 2024 Spring/Summer fashion show, which incidentally made her the first person outside the company to wear it in public.

It also appears to be available in classic black and pristine white, with the device subtly attached to clothing. This, however, opens up intriguing discussions about the social implications of a wearable camera.

It is currently unclear what niche the Ai Pin will occupy in the tech industry, but its release on November 9 may provide answers soon.

[via Engadget and TechCrunch, cover image via Humane]