Humane Recalls AI Pin Charging Case Amid Overheating Concerns, Adding to Product Woes

Charger recall spells more bad news for Humane's maligned AI Pin

Humane's Ai Pin was already struggling to take off, but the company's troubles deepened on Thursday as it recalled the product's portable charging case. Humane released the Ai Pin in April 2024. It's a lapel pin that features an integrated camera and speaker, AI voice assistant, and laser projector. The device launched at a $700 starting price before dropping to $500 in June. The Ai Pin also requires a subscription ($24 per month without fees). The wearable lacks a screen or app support, and despite marketing claims that it could replace smartphones, initial reviews of the product were abysmal (YouTuber Marques Brownlee famously dubbed the pin "The Worst Product I've Ever Reviewed"). The Ai Pin's wireless Charge Case Accessory is sold separately; it differs from the home charging dock included with the Ai Pin, which isn't impacted by this week's recall. The Charge Case Accessory is charged via USB-C. According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC's) recall notice, the Charge Case Accessory's lithium polymer battery can overheat, posing a fire risk. One user reported seeing the accessory overheat and melt while charging, according to the CPSC. There have been no reported injuries or property damage. Humane has known about potential overheating problems since at least June, when it told users to "immediately stop using and charging your Charge Case Accessory." Approximately 10,5000 units, which the CPSC says were sold from November 2023 until May, are affected. On an online support page, Humane said it issued the recall "due to an issue with certain battery cells supplied by a vendor for the Charge Case Accessory," adding that "the issue identified is isolated only to certain battery cells used in the Charge Case Accessory and is not related to the Charge Case Accessory hardware design."

Feds Recall Humane AI Pin Charger Due to Fire Risk

The recall digs a deeper hole for the makers of the Humane AI Pin as it now has to replace or refund approximately 10,500 Charge Case Accessories. After months of controversy, the Humane AI Pin already seems like it's standing at the precipice of its own grave. On Thursday, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission report gave the AI wearable a firm push closer to the edge over the company's botched battery charger. Humane announced it was "voluntarily" recalling 10,500 units of its egg-shaped charge case accessory for the AI Pin over concerns it could overheat, potentially causing a fire. According to the CPSC recall page, no injuries have been reported due to the charge case overheating. Only one report of a charge case overheating and “melting†while plugged in reportedly caused no injuries. Auspiciously, on Halloween day, Humane said it was “voluntarily recalling†the charging case after getting a single report of an issue caused by a “third-party USB-C cable and a third-party power source.†The company did not clarify what a “third-party power source†means. That could technically relate to any power brick, charging pack, or even an outlet. Humane told owners to stop using the original charging cases in June due to a “fire safety risk.†It’s been more than four months since then, and it appears the company was unable to find any fix. However, Humane stressed that the issue was unrelated to the AI Pin’s hardware design. Either way, the CPSC tells any lingering Humane users to immediately stop using the charge case. They can contact Humane for a $150 refund or replacement. Users who either got the charge case individually or at a discount with the AI Pin Complete bundle. In the latter case, users can only hope to see $130. “We have identified a new battery cell vendor for the Charge Case Accessory and are conducting a thorough qualification process,†the company wrote. “We estimate replacement Charge Case Accessories will be available in 3 to 6 months.†With the recall, using the AI Pin on the go is much harder. Even at launch, reviewers noted just how warm the AI Pin could get, not to mention the heat the Charge Case was putting out. The AI Pin is a wearable that’s supposed to act as a constant, always-on “assistant.†However, it proved very power-hungry, requiring users to swap out a new battery every few hours. That’s why the charge case was necessary to keep the assistant going when out on the town. Now, the only real option to charge the battery packs is either directly through the device or on the $80 charge pad. Bloomberg reported in May that Humane was looking to sell its company for between $750 and $1 billion. This was just a month after the release, and it’s currently unclear how any of these SNAFUs with the pin have impacted any original plans for a sale. Last week, Humane revealed it was launching an SDK and licensing opportunities for its CosmOS. This will let outside companies or programmers create their own AI agents to operate on the Pin or anybody else who decides to adopt the company’s operating system. Personal AI devices still haven’t made a case for themselves. The Rabbit R1 also launched to panned reviews, then was mired in controversy over its Android-based software and privacy issues. The Ray Ban Meta glasses work well enough as simple picture and video glasses, but Meta’s AI is terrible at recognizing objects.

Humane recalls its troubled AI Pin's Charge Case due to overheating

It's getting harder and harder not to view the Humane AI Pin as destined to go down as one of tech's all-time stinkers and cautionary tales. After reviews questioning why it existed, returns that outpaced its sales and a warning that its Charge Case could pose a "fire safety risk," the company is now recalling the latter. The issue stems from the case's battery cells, supplied by a third-party vendor, which could overheat and cause a fire hazard. Humane posted on Thursday that it's conducting the voluntary recall "out of an abundance of caution." The startup says its charging case is the only accessory affected -- not the battery booster, charging pad or Pin itself. "The issue is isolated to battery cells used in the Charge Case Accessory," Humane wrote. "It is not related to its hardware design." The company says one of its battery suppliers is to blame. "Our investigation determined that the battery supplier was no longer meeting our quality standards and that battery cells supplied by this vendor can pose a fire risk," Humane wrote. The company says it's severed ties with the supplier and is currently evaluating a new one. In fairness to Humane, the recall was (in its words) the result of only one incident where a user plugged it into a third-party USB-C cable and power source. It hasn't received reports of injuries or damage. As easy as it is to poke fun at an overhyped company's other shoe dropping, at least it's informing consumers and conducting the recall voluntarily rather than trying to bury it for the sake of PR. Perhaps Humane can look to Samsung for inspiration on rebounding from a product that catches on fire -- and not in a good way. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) posted a blurb about the recall with more detail. It says consumers who bought the Charge Case separately will receive a $149 refund. Those who got the case as part of the Humane AI Pin Complete System will get $129 back. In addition, Humane will supply replacement charging cases, but don't expect them anytime soon: The estimated wait is three to six months. The CPSC says about 10,500 units are affected. Humane advises charge case owners to "dispose of the product in accordance with any local and state laws" rather than chucking it in the trash. Presumably, that's to avoid a real dumpster fire to match the metaphorical one at Humane.

Another hit to Humane: More than 10,000 chargers recalled due to fire hazard

Today, the embattled AI-wearable-building company Humane has taken yet another blow to its already bruised reputation. The company is recalling 10,500 of its AI Pin charging cases after finding that their lithium batteries posed an overheating and fire risk, according to a notice from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Here's everything you need to know about the company's rough last few months and its latest woes: Humane is a tech company founded by ex-Apple director of design Imran Chaudri. For months, the company built hype -- and collected hundreds of millions of dollars -- for its $699 AI Pin, a wearable device imagined as the ultimate remedy to the woes of the mobile phone era. Before the product even hit the market, Fast Company global design editor Mark Wilson, who'd seen the wearable in demos, argued that it hadn't "fundamentally solved any significant problems." And after the device launched in April, reviews were roundly terrible. Editor David Pierce wrote for The Verge, "The AI Pin is an interesting idea that is so thoroughly unfinished and so totally broken in so many unacceptable ways that I can't think of anyone to whom I'd recommend spending the $699 for the device and the $24 monthly subscription." Popular tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee called it the "worst product I've ever reviewed." Suffice it to say, no one was happy.

Humane recalls the AI Pin's charging case due to overheating concerns

Still, the situation is yet another blemish for Humane's first product, which got off to a terrible start after a wave of damning reviews, slow sales, and plentiful returns. That 10,500 number is another indication of the AI Pin's slow-going sales. The company recently lowered the device's price in an attempt to reverse its fortunes. (The cheaper model no longer includes the charge case.) Humane has also continued releasing software improvements for the wearable gadget. "CosmOS 1.2 is our biggest software update since launch," the company posted on X this month.