There’s been a lot of chatter recently surrounding Apple’s upcoming mixed reality headset and the potential of it becoming the “next big thing” since the debut of the original iPhone. However, the future of mobile technology may be within closer reach than we think — and may come in the form of hand projections.
Tech enthusiasts should be familiar with a secretive startup by the name of Humane which, over the past few years, has been drip-feeding mission statements and marketing lingo that hint towards a consumer product that will “reshape the role of technology in our lives.” Last night, the company unveiled said product at a TED Talk, but only a snippet to keep folks like me awake.
At the live conference, Humane founder Imran Chaudhri unveiled a pocketable projector that stemmed out from his shirt, as screen recorded by journalist Zarif Ali. The device, which was smaller than a traditional smartphone, had an array of cameras and sensors at the top that could project visual interfaces onto hands, tabletops, or really any surface. (Does this remind anyone else of the SixthSense wearable previously developed at MIT?)
With the projector beaming against his palm, Chaudhri answered and interacted with an incoming phone call via voice controls and gestures. It’s a seamless blend of technology and human interaction that Humane believes can extend to daily schedule run-downs, seeing map directions, and receiving visual aids for cooking or when fixing a car engine — as suggested by the company’s public patents. The list goes on.
April 21, 2023
Written by June Wan