Update: Humane has confirmed the news with TechCrunch, noting in a statement: “We currently have no further updates, although Humane plans to provide additional information once the investigation is complete.”
It is fair to say that the launch of Ai Pin did not go as Human planned. This week, the well-funded startup is dealing with another problem on a long list of problems. The company issued an email on Wednesday urging customers to stop using the egg-shaped charging cover.
The warning was issued “out of great caution,” according to Humane. The company claims to have initiated an investigation after an “individual complaint” from a customer about a charging problem. Ultimately, Humane determined that the included batteries pose a potential fire hazard.
“Our investigation revealed that the battery supplier no longer met our quality standards and that certain battery cells supplied by this supplier may pose a fire safety risk,” Humane wrote in an email seen by TechCrunch. “As a result, we immediately disqualified this battery manufacturer while we are working on finding a new supplier to avoid such problems and maintain our high quality standards.”
We reached out to the company for more details and asked if Humane has any intention of doing a full recall or refund. Currently, the company offers consolation in the form of two free months of its subscription service for month.
Humane is far from the first consumer electronics company to ship products with potentially dangerous batteries. However, the timing of the news is not ideal, as the founders reportedly bought the company from potential buyers just a few months after the launch of its first product.
According to the note, the indictment cover is the only humane product affected by this news. Neither the battery boost nor the charging pad were singled out by the company.
