We built Pandroid: a small, accessible robot for running AI in the world

Hey Hacker News! I'm Alex, one of the founders of Pantograph. A year ago, my cofounder Kelsey and I set out to try to make the most inexpensive robot that's capable enough to do interesting things, and sturdy enough to be able to run for many months continuously, through all of the bumps and scratches that it will inevitably go through.

We're very excited to launch Pandroid! It's small, inexpensive, and safe to run models on, without needing to worry that a rogue model will punch through a wall. The early robotics models that exist today aren't that smart yet, so we think it's important to start with a form factor where mistakes aren't a big deal.

A friend of mine asked once, "I wonder if the world today would be different if the people who invented tech saw things the way artists like Ghibli did." That has rung through my head from time to time, and it makes me want to make products that feel like "Ghibli tech"—spirited, alive, and human.

Not to boast too much about these robots, but they really feel like Ghibli tech to me! Especially when they're running autonomously, part of my brain just registers them as little creatures, like some kind of bird or chipmunk.

We'll be around in the comments today, would love to hear what you all think.