Worldcoin is seeking to release a new version of its futuristic-looking Orb device. Alex Blania, CEO and co-founder of Tools for Humanity, the company behind Worldcoin, told TechCrunch that the new Orb will resemble an Apple product.
“The new orb is coming and the next iterations will look quite different,” Blania said while participating in a fireside chat at a StrictlyVC event on January 24th. Worldcoin’s Orb device utilizes iris scanning to assign individuals a “World ID,” granting access to Worldcoin’s application and a digital passport. This verification process is designed to authenticate individuals’ identities and prevent the creation of multiple accounts. A five-pound, chromatic bowling ball-sized device reminiscent of a sci-fi movie prop, Blania remarked that people either “hate it or they love it.”
The upcoming Orb, scheduled for release in the first half of this year, will feature alternative colors and form factors, aiming for a more approachable and friendly appearance, according to Blania. He expressed that the overall design will be considerably toned down, resembling the sleek aesthetics of an Apple product.
At the StrictlyVC event in downtown San Francisco, a “couple dozen” attendees reportedly scanned their irises in return for a World ID, a Tools for Humanity employee at the event told TechCrunch. The employee noted that the new Orb was receiving ongoing “field testing.”
Tools for Humanity is the company behind Worldcoin, the crypto project co-founded by Blania, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Max Novendstern. The project has garnered approximately $250 million in funding from investors such as a16z, Bain Capital Crypto, and others.
Over 190,000 new accounts have been created across the past week, bringing the total number of Worldcoin sign-ups to about 3.13 million, according to its website.
“The thesis is very simple. We race toward billions of users as fast as we possibly can,” Blania said at the event.
World ID 2.0
Last month, Worldcoin unveiled an updated version of its World ID feature, known as “World ID 2.0.” In its announcement, the company said that World ID 2.0 would be integrated with with platforms such as Minecraft, Shopify, Mercado Libre, Reddit, and Telegram. The newly introduced features in World ID 2.0 are designed to minimize losses attributed to bots without requiring users to divulge their personal information to the applications they are using, Worldcoin stated.
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