Humane Warns Users AI Pin Charging Cases May Catch Fire
Launched just last year, the AI Pin is billed as a wearable, screenless smartphone.
When Humane unveiled its AI Pin, it was billed as “the first wearable device and software platform built to harness the full power of artificial intelligence.” Less than a year later, the company is telling users to abstain from using Humane’s charging case, lest it catches fire.
The design of the AI Pin was fairly strange – it’s a screenless square that pins onto your clothing. In place of a digital screen is a touchpad. The device is powered by an AI assistant that runs on Humane’s operating system, CosmOS.
For $699 USD plus an additional $24 USD per month to attach a phone number, users could swap out their smartphone with the AI Pin. The device can offer translation services, provide information or look up information. A laser projector allows text to be projected onto one’s palm when a given task includes words, while the touchpad responds to select commands.
On Wednesday, however, Humane sent an email to users who had purchased the AI Pin telling them to stop using their charging cases. According to the email, which was published by The Verge, the device uses a third-party battery cell that apparently poses the risk of the AI Pin combusting.
“Our investigation determined that the battery supplier was no longer meeting our quality standards and that there is a potential that certain battery cells supplied by this vendor may pose a fire safety risk,” Humane wrote, per The Verge. “As a result, we immediately disqualified this battery vendor while we work to identify a new vendor to avoid such issues and maintain our high quality standards.”
Humane maintained that the AI Pin itself and its charging pad – another way to charge the device – are still fine to use.
The is particularly untimely for Humane, considering the company was seeking a buyer after only selling about 10,000 of the AI Pins.
