Tools for Humanity, the startup behind the World project, has revealed a new portable device designed to verify whether someone is a human or an AI. Called the Orb Mini, this tool continues the mission of the Worldcoin initiative, co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Alex Blania.
Unveiled during the company’s “At Last” event in San Francisco, the Orb Mini was introduced by Chief Device Officer Rich Heley, a former director at Apple. This smaller, smartphone-shaped version of the original Orb aims to expand access to World’s biometric verification technology—especially as AI-generated content becomes harder to distinguish from human behavior online.
A New Way to Prove You’re Human
The Orb Mini is a compact version of World’s silver Orb, equipped with two sensors on the front designed to scan your eyeballs. After a quick iris scan, the device generates a unique digital identifier stored on the blockchain. This identifier serves as proof of humanity and is a key part of World’s goal to create a trusted internet identity system.
Tools for Humanity designed the Orb Mini to make its verification process more accessible. While it resembles a smartphone, it doesn’t function like one. Its primary purpose is to verify users, not to run apps, make calls, or send messages. Still, according to co-founder Blania, the long-term goal could include turning it into a mobile point-of-sale device or licensing the technology to other manufacturers.
The design team behind the Orb Mini includes Thomas Meyerhoff, another Apple veteran. The focus was on creating a portable, approachable device that could easily scale the verification process to millions more users.
With this launch, World is doubling down on its vision: in a digital world full of AI, humans need a way to prove they are real. And the Orb Mini is its latest attempt to bring that proof to more people globally.
Expanding World Network to the U.S.
Alongside the Orb Mini announcement, Tools for Humanity is launching its World Network in the U.S., opening storefronts in six major cities: Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco. These physical locations will allow people to get verified in person using the Orb or the new Orb Mini.
While the company didn’t reveal all the technical specifications of the Orb Mini, its intent is clear: to scale human verification efforts and build a trusted identity layer for the internet. The device may be small, but its role could be significant as World pushes for broader adoption in the U.S.
World says that so far, 26 million people have signed up, with about 12 million verified. Most of this growth has come from Latin America, South America, and Asia. But now, with dedicated U.S. storefronts and a smaller device, the company is targeting a wider American audience.
Questions remain, however, about how Orb Mini might intersect with Sam Altman’s other ventures. Could the device eventually tie in with OpenAI’s upcoming hardware projects? Will it incorporate any AI features in future updates? For now, Tools for Humanity has not confirmed any connection.
Still, with growing concerns over AI impersonation and deepfakes, the demand for a “proof of human” system is only increasing. Orb Mini could play a central role in meeting that need—especially if it can be widely distributed.
