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Useful Sensors
Audio & Music
Security & Privacy

AI in a Box

Your own offline, private, open source LLM for conversations and more

$33,364 raised

of $30,000 goal

111% Funded! Order Below

Funding ended on Oct 31, 2023 at 04:59 PM PDT.

Recent Updates

You'll be notified about news and stock updates for this project.

Your very own private AI that you can ask questions and get answers, all in a tiny box! The first AI that you can talk to, and that talks back, running locally with no internet connection so your conversations and data are completely secure. No account, setup, or subscription are needed, just plug in the box and start chatting.

Live Captions

Need closed captions for a live event, or just to help in situations where you have trouble hearing a conversation? We’re using the latest in AI technology to display subtitles based on the audio input, which are output on the built-in display and through an HDMI connector for external monitors or screens.

Conversational AI

Want answers to questions, jokes, stories, or just want to chat to pass the time? AI in a Box lets you talk to a large language model (LLM) running locally on the device, and it will talk back. Get the power of modern AI on your coffee table, all with no setup or API fees.

Live Translation

Translate between multiple major languages on the fly. Select the source and destination languages and you’ll see split-screen captions showing the original input and the results of machine translation.

Air-Gapped Privacy

The software itself runs entirely locally, so no information is ever shared outside of the device. With no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity, the only way to access the device is by plugging in a physical keyboard or an Ethernet cable. This removes the possibility of remote attacks, and makes it suitable for use with sensitive conversations or material.

Voice Keyboard

Attach the included USB Type-A cable to any device that can take keyboard input, and the content of any nearby conversations will be entered as keystrokes, as if they were being dictated. This allows the box to become part of a larger system, for example by connecting to a Raspberry Pi that takes in the transcript and controls a robot or sculpture based on the content.

Open Source

AI in a Box is built on a foundation of open source models like Whisper and Llama2. In the same vein, we are releasing all the code to accelerate and control the system under an open source license. You can already see our library for optimized transformer inference on the RockChip NPU. This transparency should help with security and privacy auditing, and will allow developers to use the system as a base to build their own real-time voice input applications in Python.

Features & Specifications

Support & Documentation

Manufacturing Plan

We will be working with a contract manufacturing partner to produce the complete board, casing, and other accessories. We have working prototypes using off-the-shelf components that we’re using to test our design and software.

Renders of the all-in-one design that combines the microphone, speaker, display, and smarts

Fulfillment & Logistics

After production, AI in a Box will be shipped to Crowd Supply’s fulfillment partner, Mouser Electronics, which will deliver to backers worldwide. Additional information about Crowd Supply’s fulfillment service can be found in the Ordering, Paying, and Shipping section of their guide.

Risks & Challenges

In the Press


Produced by Useful Sensors in Mountain View, CA.

Sold and shipped by Crowd Supply.

AI in a Box

This all-in-one, pre-assembled box is ready to start listening and talking as soon as you plug in power. The custom enclosure houses the display, microphone, speaker, and smarts. This box does not require a network connection and does not have any wireless capabilities. Power adapter included.

$299 $8 US Shipping / $18 Worldwide

Want to buy this item? Check the current project page for the latest information.

AI in a Box Prototype Kit - Limited Edition

This early bird prototype kit has everything you need to start experimenting as soon as possible, but it's not neatly integrated into a single box. The kit includes the RockChip 3588S-based smarts in a custom 3D-printed enclosure and an external display, microphone, speaker, HDMI cable, USB cable, and power adapter. A limited number of these units are available earlier than the all-in-one version. Due to availability and customer support limitations, we may contact you for more information about your intended use case.

$475 $8 US Shipping / $18 Worldwide

Want to buy this item? Check the current project page for the latest information.

About the Team

Useful Sensors

Mountain View, CA  ·   usefulsensors  ·   usefulsensors.com

We build AI interfaces for everyday objects.

Pete Warden
 petewarden
Manjunath Kudlur
 keveman
Nat Jeffries
 njeffrie
Ali Zartash
 aliz64
James Wang
 JamesUseful
Laura Jefferson
 ZeeBeeDeeBee
Guy Nicholson
 guynich
Terry Merschat
 t-useful
William Meng
 wlmeng11

See Also

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