What is the Rabbit r1 and how it has revolutionized the world of AI

In January of this year the people at Rabbit Inc. presented at the CESS 2024 their brand new product, and to be honest, after watching the presentation video and a good part of the Keynote, I still had doubts about what I was seeing.. Was it a Tamagotchi? A pokedex? A Walkman? A Walkie-Talkie?

Well, none of that and everything at the same time. The Rabbit r1 was a bunny in an orange cage. It was clear from the beginning...

Well, of course it wasn't there, but I couldn't stop looking. "I'll leave the presentation a little further down in case you haven't seen it yet." The Rabbit r1 turned out to be a device half the size of a conventional smartphone with which you communicated simply by speaking.

It does not have a physical keyboard —although later we discovered that he did have it—, a touch screen less than 3″ and a kind of camera based on artificial intelligence that had the peculiarity of rotating. I hadn't seen anything like it.

As the presentation progressed, I became more and more curious about what I was seeing. In essence, I didn't have the impression that anything changed, but deep down, something that said that what I was seeing was going to mark a before and after one way or another. I didn't know exactly why, but I was excited.

How does the Rabbit r1 work?

The entire presentation takes place with Jesse Liu speaking to Rabbit R1. The operation is very simple. The side button is pressed and voice instructions are given to R1. After a few seconds the device responds—or executes, and this is important— what you have asked for. Amazing, but not enough. Let's get into it and talk about how it works.

The Rabbit r1 works with what jesse calls LAM, acronym for Large Action Model and the evolution of what we knew until now as LLM—Large Language Mode— like the ones we find in the well-known ChatGPT and similar.

This LAM differs from the LLM in that it is capable of executing actions beyond giving an answer to what is asked. What does this allow? Well, essentially what is seen in the presentation, is that I do not need any application, since the device is connected to the different accounts to which we authorize it, and it can act for us by simply speaking to it and asking for it.

And so they sold 40,000 units in the first hours. In mid-April the Rabbit r1 has already far exceeded 100,000 units sold and that It has not yet arrived at the home of the first buyers.

And the Hardware?

Well, as I commented in forums responding to all those who say "that screen is very small" He doesn't need anything more than what he has. The device is simple. Because? Because he wants you to talk to him and talk to you.

You don't need a good camera because the one you have is used for seeing, not for taking photos or videos.. He doesn't need a good screen because he wants to talk and listen to you. Even so, I think it will have more than decent quality in the words of CEO Jesse Lyu himself.

It is simple because its function is to be so. They did not want to add more because as a concept it does not need it. Want to see, hear, talk and show. For everything else we have cell phones and computers worth thousands of euros. And they have adjusted the hardware to that goal.

He wants to be a companion, not a substitute. Works better as an ally than what you already have

Jesse Lyu – CEO of Rabbit Inc.

That's why it has the hardware it has. It barely has a button and a scroll wheel in addition to the camera and screen. Basic works better than complex. It is its strong point. I leave you a list of the hardware specifications taken directly from their website.

How the Rabbit r1 works

For me there are two fundamental points of this device that I believe will help it either succeed or end up forgotten - although I highly doubt the latter -: its simplicity and its ability to learn. We have already talked about simplicity. Let's go with their ability to learn.

In one of the parts of the show, Jesse briefly shows a kind of website/application? with which you will be able to "educate" your Rabbit r1 so that he can learn what you want. Likewise, it has a section to connect different services, including Spotify, Uber or Amazon.

Honestly, this is where I see the most potential. I think the Rabbit r1 can be a great tool for teaching and use it for everyday tasks without having to take out your phone and simply ask the bunny to answer a question, ask for food or advise us on cooking.

The price of the Rabbit r1

One of the striking elements of the Rabbit r1 is precisely its price. Costs 200$ —here you can see how to buy it from Spain—which is extremely cheap even for someone who prides himself on setting the price as high as possible.

Similar devices cost up to 3 times more like the Humane AI Pin or even some that barely make a fraction cost almost the same, as may be the case of the PLAUD NOTE, which costs 159$ in addition to the annual subscription.

With that price and seeing the competition, it is normal that the Rabbit r1 has managed to position itself well above its competitors in sales, since it is the only one that has achieved such numbers in such a short time.

And the trust?

Can you imagine giving them access to shop for you on Amazon? And let it decide what you order from UBER Eats? Or better yet, would you let him organize a romantic weekend for you, giving him the ability to choose a hotel, restaurants and shows in addition to paying for everything for you?

I think this will be the biggest leap to take into account. The trust. We are going to have to make an effort to ensure that he knows us perfectly well, helps us choose and gives him the authority to make the determination to act for us. Will we be prepared?