Sep 9, 2024
It should have been an app
We're refunding all hardware orders and launching the 01 app.
In early 2024, we set out to create an open-source interface inspired by the Rabbit R1 and Star Trek computer. Our dream was to help fuel the Cambrian explosion of intelligent devices— a more capable, accessible world where everything around us had “a bit of a brain”.
We put out an open call to contribute to this endeavor, and assembled a core team of twenty artists and engineers in Seattle, Washington. Over the course of seven Airbnbs, eight weeks, and dozens of Doordash orders, we built the 01.
The first meeting at Lake Union (photo by Matthew Rygh)
After launching, a few contributors decided to dedicate ourselves to manufacturing the 01 Light—a device that demonstrated the capabilities of the 01 platform.
But as a small team of five with no prior hardware experience, we realized that we'd have to compromise on the 01’s software in order to manufacture the 01 Light ourselves.
We had to make a decision.
We are discontinuing the 01 Light
After careful deliberation, we've chosen to refund all orders and stop manufacturing the 01 Light. This wasn't an easy choice, but it's one we believe is necessary to deliver on our ambitious vision of a new computing platform.
Compared to the engineering maturity of modern smartphones, we realized that the 01 Light’s hardware didn't offer enough value to justify manufacturing it.
Our value is in our software, and we intend to focus 100% of our efforts on improving it by:
Creating better SDKs for developers
Integrating with speech-to-speech models
Improving the reliability of teach mode
Adding multi-modal functionality
We believe this decision to concentrate our efforts on software will serve our community more than manufacturing the 01 Light.
And there's a better way to get the 01 in your hands.
Introducing the 01 App
Today we're launching the free 01 App for iOS and Android, bringing the exact same voice interface demonstrated in our launch video directly to your existing devices.
Using a simple push-to-talk interface, the 01 App lets you control your Mac, Windows, and Linux machines from anywhere in the world.
The 01 App delivers a better experience than the 01 Light.
Modern smartphones are more powerful, secure, and far more common than ESP32-based devices like the 01 Light. Even as a standalone wearable, a new Android phone costs a fraction of the 01 Light and is available internationally— something we were unable to provide.
We’ve also written comprehensive documentation to help you run the 01 on your home computer, with or without the 01 App.
The next generation of hardware
As Open Interpreter strategically refocuses its efforts on software, several hardware teams are starting to manufacture affordable, open-source hardware that's compatible with or extends from the 01 platform.
Human Devices
Born from the 01 community, Human Devices is a team of seasoned hardware manufacturers building affordable 01-like dev kits. We will continue to provide first-class support for the software that powers those devices.
Brilliant.xyz
In alignment with our shared vision of open-source AI hardware, we’re working with Brilliant Labs to deliver seamless communication between devices powered by the 01 and their Frame assistant Noa.
Community Builds
The reason we open-sourced this project was so you could build on top of it. Our community as at the center of everything we do, and we are most proud of the ongoing "decentralized manufacturing" efforts at the heart of the 01:
For individuals and companies that are interested in forking the 01 to develop beneficial AI devices, please join our discord.
Open-sourcing our manufacturing journey
Continuing the vision of the 01, we will be open-sourcing our entire manufacturing journey. This includes our product requirements document, electrical schematics, firmware architecture, and industrial design.
This documentation represents months of research, design, and problem-solving. We hope it serves as a springboard for future open-source hardware projects and contributes to the advancement of accessible AI technology.
Personal note
The 01 project has given me some of my best friends. It gave me the chance to work with people I had dreamed of working with for years. Together we learned new languages, met impossible deadlines, and stayed up late into the morning to see the future before anyone else. We slept little and learned much.
I am forever grateful to the core Seattle team and the hundreds of designers and engineers that are building this next great technology— the computer you don't have to learn.
That future is just beginning. By navigating decisions like these together we can ensure the continuity of our project and realize its destiny.
To everyone that pre-ordered the 01 Light: thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting us in the early days. We’re excited to deliver the experience of the 01 Light with the new 01 App.
And I think you'll be as excited as we are about what's next.
Looking forward,
Killian
One of the things Steve would say to me was ‘how many things have you said no to?’ I would tell him I said no to this, and I said no to that…
But he knew I wasn’t interested in doing those things. There was no sacrifice in saying no. Focus is saying no to something that—with every bone in your body—you think is a phenomenal idea. You wake up thinking about it.
But you say no to it, because you are focusing on something else.
- Jony Ive
All photos by Matthew Rygh, history maker.
To Tom, you were right.
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