Humane co-founder Imran Chaudhri demoed an AI-powered wearable with a projected display that does not need a nearby phone and uses voice and gestures for input
Ex-Apple employee Imran Chaudhri gave TED attendees on Thursday an early glimpse of the AI-powered wearable that his startup, Humane, has been developing.
AxiosIna Fried
Context & Ripple Effects
Humane had already paired its wearable ambitions with a $100M raise and announced OpenAI and Microsoft partnerships in its earlier funding and partnership push. This demonstration turned those plans into a visible interface proposition: a phone-independent device using projection, voice, and gestures.
The concept later developed into the Ai Pin, whose reported feature set retained the palm-projection and camera-led interaction model. The subsequent wind-down and sale of Humane's assets to HP make this early demo an important marker of the gap between an ambitious interaction model and a durable standalone hardware business.
First-order effects
Humane gained a concrete public demonstration of its screenless, phone-independent computing pitch, giving prospective customers and partners a clearer basis to assess the product before launch.
The demo put voice, gestures, and projected information—not a conventional app screen—at the center of Humane's product identity, narrowing the company’s design and go-to-market bet.
Second-order effects
Other AI-device makers faced a sharper comparison point: a standalone wearable would need to show why its interactions are meaningfully better than phone-based AI features, not merely different.
Humane’s reliance on projection and multimodal input raised the execution burden across hardware, software, and user experience; subsequent Ai Pin coverage showed the company carrying that same design into the product.
Third-order effects
The episode points to a broader test for ambient AI hardware: replacing the smartphone requires not only capable AI, but an interaction model that users will repeatedly choose over an existing screen.
Humane’s later shutdown suggests that novel AI interfaces can attract attention without establishing a sustainable standalone-device business; the lasting value of such ideas may instead be absorbed by larger hardware platforms.
The trend: This is one data point in the push to make AI more ambient and sensor-native by moving assistance beyond the phone screen into always-available hardware.
Ahh, ah a gadget designed to replace a pocket square. This is a pocket protector for the 21st century or another gadget that just replicates what my phone does. — https://www.theverge.com/...
The @Humane wearable doing English->French AI translation in your own voice... wow. (SOUND ON) Video credit @ZarifAli9 Read the exclusive on the Humane wearable's features: https://www.inverse.com/... https://twitter.com/...
This is very clever - but does the projection actually add anything? I can already call my wife via my Airpods. Maybe more useful for text messages/reminders/shopping lists? https://twitter.com/...
i've been doing demos with laser projectors for many years now, and there are a lot of really cool things you can do with them. not sure there's a great case for projecting on your hand Much more interesting when you get high lumens, fov, longer battery life cam+mic, great https:…
Ex-Apple employee Imran Chaudhri gave TED attendees today an early glimpse of the AI-powered wearable that his startup, Humane, has been developing https://www.axios.com/...
Dear Dlozi kids who see alternate realities in every moment,care to share how exhausting augmented reality really is? Ooh,nevermind- it's not the sake Silly me https://twitter.com/...
Just updated my story with this video demo (via @MichaelMofina) of the AI on the @Humane wearable recognizing a chocolate bar and telling @imranchaudhri whether he could eat it or not based on his dietary restrictions. The AI also has jokes! https://www.inverse.com/... https://tw…