Ex-Apple Designer Demonstrates a New Wearable Device That Will “Replace Smartphones”

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If there’s one thing that science fiction films have shown us, it’s that wearable technologies will be widely used in the future. Chips attached to our brains, communication systems integrated into our eardrums, phones hidden in the palms of our hands, and much more. Although wearable technologies are generally limited to smartwatches and wristbands today, tech companies continue to work on new innovations. Most recently, Humane, a company founded by a former Apple designer, demonstrated a combadge-like wearable with a projected screen. Here are the details…

Humane introduces innovative wearable device with translation and projection features

Apple frequently recruits the best and brightest names to develop top-notch products. As a result, companies founded by experienced individuals who have left Apple often attract attention. Imran Chaudhri is one of those names. Having worked as a designer at Apple for many years, Chaudhri has been focusing on wearable technologies at his own company called Humane for some time. The first product resulting from these efforts was unveiled at the TED 2023 conference.

Chaudhri, who chose the TED 2023 conference to showcase the wearable AI projector developed by Humane, put on an impressive show. In short, the device appears as a part of your clothing and is largely concealed. Only the projection, camera, and speaker components are exposed. This exposed part doesn’t look much different from a designer emblem or science fiction movie logo.

So, what exactly does Humane’s device do, and will it replace smartphones? Although Imran Chaudhri uses slogans like “you won’t need a phone anymore,” this isn’t entirely accurate. The device has a projection feature, as mentioned earlier, and it uses various surfaces, including your palm, to display images by reflecting them. It’s unclear how well this gadget, which looked quite successful during the demonstration, will perform in real life. Additionally, it’s a matter of curiosity whether users will trade their AMOLED screen phones for a greenish projection.

Of course, Humane’s wearable technology isn’t limited to this feature alone. Adopting artificial intelligence technology, the device could be particularly great for tourism. In one usage scenario, it translates what Chaudhri says into his voice fluently. This innovative solution could be especially helpful for users who want to visit other cities without a tour guide but struggle with communication difficulties. Naturally, the features Humane will offer with this product aren’t limited to these. However, to see them, the device needs to be ready for market launch. Unfortunately, we don’t have any information about the release date or price for now.

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