customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

knowledgeQuestion

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Che Pan

A handheld gadget powered by artificial intelligence (AI) developed by start-up Rabbit Inc is gaining quick popularity after capturing the imagination of consumers during its launch this month as a new way of interacting with AI beyond smartphones and computers.
Rabbit, started by Chinese technology entrepreneur Jesse Lyu Cheng, said its R1 device priced at US$199, which was unveiled in Las Vegas the same week as CES 2024 earlier this month, has seen five batches of pre-orders sell out since its debut.
The Santa Monica-based company did not exhibit at CES, but the timely launch has brought widespread attention from consumers and tech media alike to the palm-sized orange box that is meant to be another complementary device in users’ gadget arsenals.
Last week, the company said on X that it was starting pre-orders for a sixth batch of 50,000 Rabbit R1 devices, after its latest batch of 10,000 devices sold out.
Tech giants Alibaba, ByteDance lead China’s return to CES
Since the 2022 launch of ChatGPT, which thrust large language models (LLMs) and generative AI into the public consciousness, start-ups and big tech companies around the globe have raced to explore the next generation of AI-powered devices that could revolutionise the ways humans and machines interact, transcending experiences offered by today’s app-focused smartphones.
Handset makers like Xiaomi and Huawei Technologies, along with laptop makers such as Dell, Lenovo, HP are all banking on AI-powered smart gadgets this year.
Lyu, the CEO of Rabbit, envisioned bringing a dedicated AI-powered device to billions of consumers.
In his product launch video, the founder said that although recent achievements in LLMs made it much easier for machines to understand people, “these [digital] assistants still struggle to get things done”.
“We wanted to find a way for our AI to trigger actions on behalf of users across all environments … iOS, Android and desktop,” he said in the video.


In collaboration with the design firm Teenage Engineering, the luminous orange-coloured gadget has a vintage look reminiscent of a 1990s handheld video game console.
It has a pressable scroll wheel for accessing the gadget’s built-in functions, which includes voice controls when clicked.
Above the wheel is a rotating camera for capturing photos and videos, which sits to the right of a 2.88-inch touch screen. The size and a weight of just 115 grams makes it easily pocketable, as well.
The stand-alone device, which does not require a connection to another device to function, runs on a 2.3GHz MediaTek processor and includes 4GB of random access memory (RAM) and 128GB of storage.
Netflix has no plans to make an app for Apple’s first 3D headset
Yet the real selling point of the R1 is its unique operating system based on what the company calls a “large action model”, which is a proprietary foundation model designed in house that is meant to learn user intentions and behaviour.
After it sees how a user interacts with a food delivery or ride-hailing app, for example, the machine can perform the same actions on command.
Since the R1 launch video was posted on YouTube on January 9, it has received more than 4.8 million views and 56,000 likes.
As of December, Rabbit has raised US$36 million from US, Canadian and South Korean investors, according to data from PitchBook, which tracks deals in the private equity market.
Lyu studied financial mathematics at Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University in Suzhou and the University of Liverpool in the UK.


He spent his final year of university at the University of the Arts London, where he founded Timeet, a social media service that matched users based on their schedules. Lyu has been on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Entrepreneurs list twice, according to Chinese media reports.
Born in 1990 in Xian, capital of northwestern Shaanxi province, Lyu is known as a star tech entrepreneur. Before Rabbit, he founded a smart home AI device maker called Raven Tech in 2014.
The start-up was acquired by Chinese AI and search engine giant Baidu in February 2017, which Chinese media reported was a US$90 million deal.
Google to let global Android users search for content within other apps
Like Rabbit, Raven was also a darling for VC capital firms, and it was the only Chinese company to receive funding from California-based US technology incubator Y Combinator.
Before the acquisition, it raised US$15 million in Series A funding from DCM Ventures, ZhenFund and Matrix Partners China, according to PitchBook.
Lyu’s journey with Baidu was short-lived. He left the Chinese tech giant in July 2018. He joined the board of Teenage Engineering in May 2020, according to his LinkedIn profile, and started Rabbit four months later.


AI pioneer Li Feifei raises US$230 million for new start-up World Labs

Could robot chefs be answer to staff shortages? Hong Kong team believes it has recipe for success

Chinese professor invents culinary robot to bring Chinese cooking to the world

As Chinese AI and GPU demand heats up, a Hong Kong data centre turns to liquid cooling

Artificial intelligence

Rabbit, US$200 AI-powered gadget, becomes unexpected hit after CES 2024 launch by Chinese entrepreneur

The Rabbit R1 is a $200 AI-powered device that aims to compliment smartphones by performing certain tasks on behalf of users when prompted. Photo: Handout

Alibaba, TikTok woo US with AI and live-streaming e-commerce at CES trade show, setting the tone for 2024

At the recent CES trade show in Las Vegas, Alibaba.com and TikTok Shop focused on their respective strengths in artificial intelligence and live-streaming e-commerce. Photos: Shutterstock

The Alibaba.com booth features the e-commerce platform’s artificial intelligence-powered Smart Assistant, designed to help users navigate the sourcing website, at the CES trade show in Las Vegas on January 12, 2024. Photo: Matt Haldane

An online influencer is seen at the TikTok Shop booth preparing for a live-streaming session to sell goods directly from CES inside the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on January 10, 2024. Photo: Matt Haldane

China remains a tough market to stage a comeback for world’s former top smartphone vendor Samsung

Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Z Fold5 and Z Flip5 3D foldable smartphone displays are seen at the company’s flagship store in Shanghai on October 23, 2023. Photo: Shutterstock

A Hong Kong-based Galaxy Note 7 smartphone user claimed in this Facebook post on September 19, 2016, that the device’s battery exploded when it was being charged. Photo: Facebook

CES 2024: China TV makers Hisense and TCL promote AI, live sports at US show

Hisense USA president David Gold on stage at CES 2024 in Las Vegas on Monday. Photo: Matt Haldane

Stefan Streit, chief marketing officer of TCL Communication, introduces the RayNeo X2 Lite smart glasses at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, January 8, 2024. Photo: Bloomberg

Hisense US president David Gold speaks during a presentation at CES 2024, January 8, 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE

China to persist with AI development in 2024 despite rigid US chip restrictions, UBS analysts say

A slew of sanctions imposed by the US since 2019 has forced companies across China’s vast tech supply chain to work closely together in supporting domestic artificial intelligence projects. Image: Shutterstock

CES 2024: Hong Kong start-ups attract interest from Microsoft, Best Buy amid overseas push

Hong Kong start-up XOXO Beverages has made a machine that will automatically mix cocktails to specifications inputted through an app. Photo: Matt Haldane

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella meets with Steve Kong, co-founder and chief technology officer of AI Guided, at CES to learn more about the Hong Kong start-up’s belt for guiding the blind. Photo: Handout 

Invisible & Innovation Technology makes cabinets with embedded speakers, which are partially made of recycled materials. Photo: Matt Haldane

XOXO Beverages has made a machine that will automatically mix cocktails to specifications inputted through an app. SCMP / Matt Haldane

Tech

Big Tech

Tech Trends

Business

China Business

News

China

Money & Wealth

World

United States & Canada

The Rabbit R1, which learns and repeats how users interact with apps, has sold out of five pre-order rounds since launching in Las Vegas this month
Rabbit Inc was started by Jesse Lyu Cheng, a Xian native who sold his previous start-up to Chinese AI giant Baidu


Rabbit Inc, started by Xian native Jesse Lyu Cheng, has sold out of five rounds of pre-orders for its R1 device since launching in Las Vegas this month.


Rabbit, US$200 AI-powered gadget, becomes unexpected hit after CES 2024 launch by Chinese entrepreneur

The Rabbit R1, which learns and repeats how users interact with apps, has sold out of five pre-order rounds since launching in Las Vegas this month Rabbit Inc was started by Jesse Lyu Cheng, a Xian native who sold his previous start-up to Chinese AI giant Baidu

The Rabbit R1, which learns and repeats how users interact with apps, has sold out of five pre-order rounds since launching in Las Vegas this month

Rabbit Inc was started by Jesse Lyu Cheng, a Xian native who sold his previous start-up to Chinese AI giant Baidu