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The first-ever iPhone was introduced in 2007.
Major advances have been made from a technological standpoint, but the look of the iPhone has stayed relatively the same.
In comes a secretive new company called Humane…
Who is behind Humane?
Humane is currently led by the Husband and Wife duo of Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno who both left Apple in 2016.
Imran was one of the main inventors of the iPhone and also helped develop the Macintosh, iPod, iPad, and Apple Watch.
While his wife Bethany is the former director of software engineering for iOS and macOS projects. She played a leadership role in the development of the original iPad.
Humane has been around for about 4 years but has yet to release a product. The company’s headcount has grown to over 140 employees, ~60 of which are former Apple employees.
What is Humane building?
Humane has been ultra-secretive about its future plans but recently released a short teaser video.
While the video does not tell us exactly what Humane is building, the video is certainly worth a watch.
According to patent filings, Humane is building 2 main devices.
The first device is a laser-projection system that will seek to project hologram-like figures into your life.
The device is covered with sensors that attach magnetically to your clothes and features a wide-angle camera with optical image stabilization, a depth sensor, a number of other sensors, a GPS tracker, a processor, and a microphone. The hardware connects to a cloud computing platform.
As seen in the example below, one could simply tell their device to “Turn down the temperature” and have the thermostat projected on their hand with hologram-like lasers.
I know, kind of crazy…
Here is another example of a diagram obtained from Humane’s patent filings that show an example of someone changing their engine oil.
So, instead of having to watch a YouTube video and constantly try to pause/play the video on your 4-inch phone, Humane’s device would project the step-by-step directions directly onto your car, detailing exactly which parts you would have to touch.
Another figure on their patent filings includes someone preparing a meal as seen below.
The device would then go on to tell the individual the exact size they need to cut the vegetables.
The second device as represented in the patent applications appears to be a wearable that helps women keep track of their menstrual cycles.
The system could help improve couples’ chances of achieving — or avoiding — pregnancy and assist with women’s health issues according to the company.
Final Thoughts
It is interesting to note that Microsoft introduced similar technology in 2011, although there is little information out there on the success of the project.
This technology is so new that it is difficult to even wrap our heads around how it could eventually play a factor in our lives.
But, as stated by the man who helped invent the iPhone “The ultimate interface with computing is one that completely disappears. When that completely disappears, then we turn back to humanity. And that’s when everything starts to get resolved in the right way,” Chaudhri said in an interview.
Humane is certainly worth keeping an eye on given the team behind the product, and the market they are seeking to disrupt.