• Tech startup Rabbit showcased one of the more interesting gadgets at CES 2024 this week in the form its R1 dedicated AI assistant.
• The device was co-designed with Teenage Engineering and is currently available to order in the States for $199.
• The Rabbit R1 also features no subscription in order to access its AI functionality and capabilities.

CES 2024 has pretty much been focused on consumer electronics that either offer some form of artificial intelligence tool or are AI-ready. We’ve already seen smart TVs, notebooks, smart cars, and now we’re venturing into dedicated AI assistants as technology startup Rabbit has revealed an interesting device it calls the R1.

The Rabbit R1 is quite similar in concept to the Humane AI Pin we spotted last year, although instead of being a wearable, it’s a device you hold in hand in order to operate. It also has the unique distinction of being co-designed by Teenage Engineering, which accounts for the retro stylings on offer here.

The device is already available for pre-order at $199, and is expected to ship sometime in March or April according to Rabbit, but it’s important to point out that it is only shipping to 13 territories for now, including the US, UK, Japan, and Germany. Sadly nothing in Middle East and Africa is listed at the moment.

So what does $200 get you for this intriguing-looking piece of kit?

Well the Rabbit R1 features three main elements in terms of user interface, with a 2.88″ screen up front, an analogue scroll wheel next to it, and a camera on the rear that can be flipped to either face towards or away from you.

In terms of actually interacting, the R1 features a push-to-talk functionality that prompts the proprietory Rabbit OS to begin listening to its user. From there, and based on the prompt, the Rabbit R1 will perform specific tasks as desired, whether that be asking what time a football match is on later that evening, or asking for ideas on what to cook for dinner with certain ingredients.

As such, it takes the AI platform experience of something like ChatGPT and condenses it into a small dedicated handheld device.

On top of the large language model capabilities, Rabbit says the R1 can handle tasks related to other apps and devices thanks to what it terms as the large action model (LAM). During the demonstration (featured below) of the R1, founder and CEO Jesse Lyu, “taught” the device to use Midjourney via Discord.

He also noted that if an application has an API, the Rabbit R1 can be used to interact with it.

At the time of writing, there is no precise mention of the battery life available on the R1, but Rabbit says it can work “all day” whatever that means.

Finally it is worth pointing out that, unlike the aforementioned AI Pin, the R1 features no subscription to access its services, although internet connectivity is taken care of via WiFi at home or a network operator when on the go, so there will be that cost to consider too.