meet humanpods, natura umana’s AI earbuds that act like therapist

Natura Umana unveils AI humanpods at CES 2025

Natura Umana introduces AI HumanPods, a pair of earbuds that help users with their needs. When they tap the touch-sensitive exterior of the device, the AI HumanPods analyze the request. Depending on the help needed, they act as either a therapist, assistant, gardener, language and fitness coach, travel guide, legal advisor, or more. Natura Umana selects an open-ear design for the earbuds. There’s a dedicated app that they need to download so the AI HumanPods can process requests. After that, users connect them to their smartphones via Bluetooth. Once connected, the users can start asking their AI HumanPods what they need.

In a preview clip, people can share their problems out in the open, and the earbuds listen through the microphone. The human-like voice of the digital agent then replies with potential solutions or just offers their listening ears. The development team, who unveils the earbuds at CES 2025, hopes to minimize screen time by making the interaction between the user and AI conversational. People use their phones when they need to take pictures and help the AI agent understand what they need help with, such as how to stop their plants from withering or turning yellow (the earbuds need to see them first before offering advice). Visitors to CES 2025 in Las Vegas, which runs between January 7th and 11th, can have the chance to test out the earbuds before they hit the market in 2025.

all images courtesy of Natura Umana

Open-ear design for the earbuds means less pressure

When it comes to the design features, the AI HumanPods are open-ear, meaning they don’t go into the ear canal. This allows users to comfortably listen and talk to the earbuds. Since they sit outside the ear canal, there’s also less to zero pressure and strain and more airflow. A ‘hook’ rises from the side of the earbuds, and it helps balance the weight of the device outside the ear canal. Natura Umana says that during testing, users often forget that they’re wearing the AI HumanPods because this hook ‘lifts’ the weight of the device. The startup lab is set to produce five different sizes of this hook for the AI HumanPods so the device fits any ears. The team assures that users can put them on even while they’re exercising since they won’t fall out.

The earbuds are rechargeable with a 15-minute quick charge. After that, users can wear them for up to nine hours with all-day use on a single charge. There’s a charging case included, and it can provide additional power for up to 24 hours. Natura Umana’s AI Humanpods work in gestures: tap the exterior of the earbuds to play and pause, slide to adjust volume, and long press for the voice assistant. Because of their ENC technology and dual-mic algorithms, the device can cancel up to 90 percent of external noises for clear listening. The earbuds also automatically adjust their own bass levels when they detect lower volumes so that the output is still deep and clear.

users tap the touch-sensitive exterior of the device, and the AI HumanPods analyze the request

AI Agents have their own personality, voice and expertise

Natura Umana, a hardware and software AI lab, develops their own operating system for HumanPods. Called NatureOS, it’s the app that brings in the AI People or agents as well as other official language models such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and more. The team devises NatureOS to allow users to send text, images, documents, and voice notes to official language models, Nature and other AI People. Speaking of the digital agents, Natura Umana designs them to emulate human behavior and conversational nuances, so they don’t sound monotonous.

Each AI Person has their own personality, voice, expertise, and purpose, so users feel as if they were just having a phone call with a real-life person. The main agent, however, is called Nature. Once they hear the user’s question, they assess the inquiry and redirect the request to the proper AI Person: a therapist, a fitness coach, a travel guide, and more. After CES 2025, Natura Human expects to roll out AI HumanPods and NatureOS in the first quarter of 2025.

the earbuds act as either a therapist, assistant, language and fitness coach, legal advisor, or more