Santa Monica-based AI startup Rabbit launched a virtual assistant that runs on a natural-language operating system, called R1 at the CES 2024. The handheld virtual assistant is a bold attempt at an app-free online experience for only $199.
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Rabbit Develops Pocket-Sized AI Companion R1
The R1 comes at about the same size as a stack of Post-It notes and has a 2.88-inch touchscreen on the left side. It also comes with an analog scroll wheel and a camera that rotates 360 degrees and faces up or down when not in use as a privacy shutter.
Rabbit CEO and founder Jesse Lyu shared that the idea stemmed from frustrations with cluttered smartphone apps with complicated UX designs. "As a result, end users are frustrated with their devices and are often getting lost. rabbit is now building towards an intuitive app-free experience with the power of AI," he added.
The device works through a push-to-talk button wherein users will hold to give R1 voice commands. It also supports a 4G LTE SIM for constant connection and a Wi-Fi connection. The device uses USB-C for charging and claims to last "all day" on a charge.
Rabbit Promotes R1 for Accomplishing Menial Tasks
Although it has promising features, the company clarified that R1 is not meant to replace smartphones but to be treated as a menial task handler. For instance, instead of scrolling through your phone to book an Uber ride, just press the button on R1 and say the command.
Since the device does not offer a connection to other apps or your smartphone, all the commands will be processed on the RabbitOS which provides access to select apps via a web portal. The Rabbit Hole webpage will be used to log into several services.
While the process may seem sketchy for some, Rabbit assured that the company will not store any user credentials of third-party services. Moreover, users can unlink RabbitOS at any time and delete their data.
"Our Large Action Model takes it one step further: it doesn't just generate text in response to human input - it generates actions on behalf of users to help us get things done," Lyu promised.
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