The handheld AI assistant developed by startup Rabbit has captured users’ imaginations, and the small California-based company has sold out of multiple pre-orders for the device since its launch earlier this month.
Rabbit announced the R1 device at an event in Las Vegas the same week as the CES trade show. There, his main focus was on AI, but Rabbit did not exhibit at the event.
The company announced late last week that the first five rounds of pre-orders for the R1 ($199 (£156) each, totaling 50,000 units) had sold out, and it was starting a sixth batch of 50,000 more units.
The device stood out among cloud AI products at CES due to its affordable price and attractive design.
Pocket-sized AI assistant
R1 allows users to interact with their favorite services, such as music playback apps, ride-hailing services, and image- or text-based generative AI, via the 2.88-inch touchscreen and push-to-talk buttons.
The device fits in your pocket, doesn’t require a link to another device, and can perform tasks like searching the web, playing music from Spotify, and hailing a taxi.
R1’s operating system uses AI (what Rabbit calls “large-scale action models”) to analyze how users interact with these services and automatically perform similar tasks. Make it easier.
The company said it uses Perplexity AI to answer user questions and said the first 100,000 buyers will receive a free one-year subscription to Perplexity.
attractive design
The unit was created in collaboration with design firm Teenage Engineering to resemble a 1990s handheld game console, and also includes a camera, speaker, and two microphones.
Rabbit said the sixth batch of pre-orders is expected to be delivered by June-July 2024.
As of December, Rabbit had raised $36 million from investors in the U.S., Canada, and South Korea, according to PitchBook data.