Edge AI on cheap hardware.
A hands-on lab building small devices on ESP32 boards and similar hardware that run AI locally: voice capture, wearables, cameras and, eventually, hobby robots. Every build is documented, including the mistakes.
The R&D lab is a work in progress. Nothing here is a product or for sale. Statuses below are as of late October 2026.
Proof, content and future products
Credibility by building
The robotics label is earned, not claimed. I will describe myself as a robotics builder only after several robotics builds have shipped.
Content
Builds become episodes, build logs and guides for the series.
Privacy-first AI
Few consultants can offer AI that runs on your premises, on a cheap board, with no data leaving the building. That is the angle worth exploring.
What is actually built, and what is not
ESP32 playbook and starter builds
A bench-tested playbook and a set of starter builds (blink, sensors, Wi-Fi scan, camera, display). Plan: publish a cleaned-up free "start here" guide.
GN-01 guitar recorder
Firmware that records from a microphone to an SD card when it hears sound and stops on silence. Needs a real-guitar test and a demo.
Meeting recorder
Capture plus a local pipeline for transcription and summaries with no cloud calls. Proven in testing; the front-end is still planned.
Open watch firmware
Custom firmware for a small AMOLED watch board with nothing contacting the internet. The board was returned and is to be rebought, so key features are unverified.
Baby monitor camera
Bench builds and a feasibility analysis. A convenience monitor only, never a safety device.
Find My Car (LoRa)
Two units flashed and a radio link confirmed. Phone pairing and outdoor tests still to do.
Ghost-Note
A specification for a screenless guitar-jack recorder that syncs to a phone app. No working device yet.
First robotics builds
Candidates are a pan-tilt camera bot, a ping-pong ball feeder and a small obstacle-avoiding rover. None has shipped yet.
How the lab works safely
- Low voltage only: USB power and protected single-cell batteries. No mains-voltage tutorials.
- Recording devices only with consent, labeled, and within local law.
- Convenience builds are never marketed as safety devices.
- Wireless and security experiments only on devices I own or have written permission to test.
- Own code planned under open licences; upstream licences respected and credited.
Edge AI for a business?
If you have a privacy-sensitive use case, such as on-premise voice capture or local summaries, tell me about it. Today this is exploratory conversation, not a packaged service.