The tech seems neat and all but please stop multitasking while driving, encouraging others to multitask while driving, and building products specifically designed to encourage multitasking while driving.
If you want to work while you're in transit: take public transit.
I agree that we should find ways to limit instead of instigate multitasking while driving.
Building tech is usually clearer than finding a clear use case for it. As we find ways to mature the tech to be aligned with the ultimate vision we have, we will test various problems the immature tech can solve.
With that being said, if you have any ideas where this could really help people (for instance people with motor disabilities), please share them. We would like to serve people and build with humility.
People with motor disabilities seems like a great use case! Cooking and watching TV are two activities that benefit from voice control (due to dirty hands and remotes going missing). Nursing mothers often literally have their hands full.
Lots of folks in safety critical situations rely on multitasking and voice commands: law enforcement, firefighters, pilots, heavy equipment operators, armed forces, etc. Many of them are in situations in which not multitasking isn't an option and receive special training to minimize risks. That being said now you're entering heavily regulated industries where the stakes couldn't be higher... not exactly an easy place for LLMs and startups to play.
On the other end of the spectrum there is a tried and true industry for tech innovations where the stakes couldn't be lower: adult entertainment. There's millions of adults wishing they could operate screens without needing a hand free. Might not be as glamorous as helping firefighters and people with motor disabilities, but we all need to make a living.
Hi HN! We built Blue, a voice assistant that can use any app on your phone via a tiny USB-C hardware “hand” we call Bud. Here’s how we went from concept to 100 working units in 55 days for YC Demo Day.
About me:
I’m a robotics and product design engineer focused on building thoughtful tools for the world. I hold dozens of patents in hardware and manufacturing, and I care deeply about how things are made and who they’re made for.
For over a decade, I’ve worked across robotics, wearables, and consumer electronics. As one of the first engineers on the Apple Vision Pro, I took it from concept to mass production.
I'm also in the wearables space, though neurotech/sleeptech.
I'm assuming you did 3d printed enclosures, so really board design and was the longest process.
What I think is really clever about your design is passthrough USB-C and then not needing your own battery. So essentially you've got a micro, probably with it's own memory?
So elegant.
Others are saying you must have had your Taiwan contacts beforehand, but even without that, two weeks for board manufacturing isn't unrealistic I'd think, even for a noob, and lucky for you the board design should have been pretty simple.
Can I ask what your experience going through YC as a consumer hardware founder was like?
If you're curious about what we're building, we're enhancing the restorative function of sleep, without altering sleep time. Check out https://affectablesleep.com
I have been a consumer HW founder for years, and I applied to YC eleven times, and just got in this time with Blue.
I think for consumer, if you can really simplify the product and solve the absolute basic version, the costs should be low enough to validate the idea. YC will value your skills to create this simple version, and that you are able to actually execute and create something that could be real.
The missing link was really showing I could take a prototype and mass produce it (even at a small scale). That was what this whole exercise was about.
One additional note that comes to mind, building really great partnerships is essential for hardware to work.
I've been a consumer founder for 8 years (I think) and have been in deep-tech for about 14, and neurotech/hardware for the last 5.
I applied to YC 16 times!!!
My previous start-up was acquired
Our technology is in use in clinical trials. We've begun pre-sales, and are in selection of contract manufacturer.
I only decided to apply for the next round last night. Would it be ok if I ask to get your opinion on a few of the application questions? When we get to that point? Probably not for a few weeks.
We're fortunate that our hardware engineer and industrial engineer both have extensive experience in manufacturing.
Really appreciate the kind words, and I mean it sincerely, it's only possible because of my incredible Taiwan partners, my Industrial Designer Tomas(who I am lucky to call my friend), the other founders, and being razor focused on our goal.
Joyce flew from Taiwan to make sure I had them in my hands, folded boxes with me in the office, and just as she got over her jet lag and went back to Taiwan.
I've invested in a couple of hardware start-ups, some of their products were not even close to what you guys are doing complexity wise. I will forward your post to them as a nice example of how it is done. My career has moved in-and-out of the crossroads between hardware, software, mechanics and other applications of technology and I suspect that you've aged a year in those 8 weeks on account of all of the setbacks and restarts. And yet, you pulled it off. I hope your demo day demo went well and that your round ended up oversubscribed, you've certainly deserved it.
Listen, man, this seems like absolute magic to me. Obviously you already knew your Taiwan team and I'm sure a hard part is getting a good hardware partner, but the execution on this seems nigh godlike to get such a high quality device in the hands of people that fast.
Thank you for such kind words! We needed to prove to ourselves, customers and to investors that Hardware is possible, and not to fear it. I've built it for years, and never understood why people fear it.
We live in a physical world, and some of us should build things for it.
In some ways, if this instigates them implement it in their OS, we are doing our job, and then we can pivot and keep working on ideas that we hope will serve others.
Please stop multitasking while driving.
The tech seems neat and all but please stop multitasking while driving, encouraging others to multitask while driving, and building products specifically designed to encourage multitasking while driving.
If you want to work while you're in transit: take public transit.
I agree. For safety mostly but even for "fuck cant we just drive somewhere and that be considered enough achievement, like it is 1989"
In 1825 people would stare at an ox’s ass for days straight thinking about nothing much.
In 2025 we can’t spend 10 minutes without doing something else while traveling at speeds that would make a sailor blush.
I agree that we should find ways to limit instead of instigate multitasking while driving.
Building tech is usually clearer than finding a clear use case for it. As we find ways to mature the tech to be aligned with the ultimate vision we have, we will test various problems the immature tech can solve.
With that being said, if you have any ideas where this could really help people (for instance people with motor disabilities), please share them. We would like to serve people and build with humility.
People with motor disabilities seems like a great use case! Cooking and watching TV are two activities that benefit from voice control (due to dirty hands and remotes going missing). Nursing mothers often literally have their hands full.
Lots of folks in safety critical situations rely on multitasking and voice commands: law enforcement, firefighters, pilots, heavy equipment operators, armed forces, etc. Many of them are in situations in which not multitasking isn't an option and receive special training to minimize risks. That being said now you're entering heavily regulated industries where the stakes couldn't be higher... not exactly an easy place for LLMs and startups to play.
On the other end of the spectrum there is a tried and true industry for tech innovations where the stakes couldn't be lower: adult entertainment. There's millions of adults wishing they could operate screens without needing a hand free. Might not be as glamorous as helping firefighters and people with motor disabilities, but we all need to make a living.
Best wishes!
Hi HN! We built Blue, a voice assistant that can use any app on your phone via a tiny USB-C hardware “hand” we call Bud. Here’s how we went from concept to 100 working units in 55 days for YC Demo Day.
About me: I’m a robotics and product design engineer focused on building thoughtful tools for the world. I hold dozens of patents in hardware and manufacturing, and I care deeply about how things are made and who they’re made for.
For over a decade, I’ve worked across robotics, wearables, and consumer electronics. As one of the first engineers on the Apple Vision Pro, I took it from concept to mass production.
Very well done! Congrats.
I'm also in the wearables space, though neurotech/sleeptech.
I'm assuming you did 3d printed enclosures, so really board design and was the longest process.
What I think is really clever about your design is passthrough USB-C and then not needing your own battery. So essentially you've got a micro, probably with it's own memory?
So elegant.
Others are saying you must have had your Taiwan contacts beforehand, but even without that, two weeks for board manufacturing isn't unrealistic I'd think, even for a noob, and lucky for you the board design should have been pretty simple.
Can I ask what your experience going through YC as a consumer hardware founder was like?
If you're curious about what we're building, we're enhancing the restorative function of sleep, without altering sleep time. Check out https://affectablesleep.com
I have been a consumer HW founder for years, and I applied to YC eleven times, and just got in this time with Blue.
I think for consumer, if you can really simplify the product and solve the absolute basic version, the costs should be low enough to validate the idea. YC will value your skills to create this simple version, and that you are able to actually execute and create something that could be real.
The missing link was really showing I could take a prototype and mass produce it (even at a small scale). That was what this whole exercise was about.
One additional note that comes to mind, building really great partnerships is essential for hardware to work.
I've been a consumer founder for 8 years (I think) and have been in deep-tech for about 14, and neurotech/hardware for the last 5. I applied to YC 16 times!!!
My previous start-up was acquired
Our technology is in use in clinical trials. We've begun pre-sales, and are in selection of contract manufacturer.
I only decided to apply for the next round last night. Would it be ok if I ask to get your opinion on a few of the application questions? When we get to that point? Probably not for a few weeks.
We're fortunate that our hardware engineer and industrial engineer both have extensive experience in manufacturing.
This is seriously impressive. You guys did more in 8 weeks than some teams will accomplish in a multiple of that.
Really appreciate the kind words, and I mean it sincerely, it's only possible because of my incredible Taiwan partners, my Industrial Designer Tomas(who I am lucky to call my friend), the other founders, and being razor focused on our goal.
Joyce flew from Taiwan to make sure I had them in my hands, folded boxes with me in the office, and just as she got over her jet lag and went back to Taiwan.
I've invested in a couple of hardware start-ups, some of their products were not even close to what you guys are doing complexity wise. I will forward your post to them as a nice example of how it is done. My career has moved in-and-out of the crossroads between hardware, software, mechanics and other applications of technology and I suspect that you've aged a year in those 8 weeks on account of all of the setbacks and restarts. And yet, you pulled it off. I hope your demo day demo went well and that your round ended up oversubscribed, you've certainly deserved it.
Impressive. Hardware like this is only necessary on iOS because it doesn't have software accessibility features like Android, right?
Was thinking the same thing. This is a risky ecosystem play where the owners of said ecosystem can (and are motivated to) make you irrelevant.
It eventually needs to do something the phone software cant do itself. For example more powerful AI chip than the phone has.
Yeah you got it, this is our way of playing within the rules, but allowing an experience we wish we had with our phones.
Listen, man, this seems like absolute magic to me. Obviously you already knew your Taiwan team and I'm sure a hard part is getting a good hardware partner, but the execution on this seems nigh godlike to get such a high quality device in the hands of people that fast.
Thank you for such kind words! We needed to prove to ourselves, customers and to investors that Hardware is possible, and not to fear it. I've built it for years, and never understood why people fear it.
We live in a physical world, and some of us should build things for it.
If it proves popular, how do you protect yourself from Google or Apple eating your breakfast by simply implementing this in the OS itself?
Please don't tell them about us...
In some ways, if this instigates them implement it in their OS, we are doing our job, and then we can pivot and keep working on ideas that we hope will serve others.