Xiaozhi AI

Xiaozhi AI is an open-source AI companion hardware built around a large language model and small display, created by a Shenzhen-based maker known as "Xiage" (虾哥) . Originally conceived as an emotionally perceptive voice assistant, it took physical form and was open-sourced on GitHub in late 2024, with Xiage posting video tutorials for assembly . The device sells for roughly 100 yuan on Taobao and has shipped over a million units, making it what 葬AI described as "the real deal when it comes to embodied intelligence" .

Its significance lies less in the base product than in what the open-source ecosystem has built from it. Developers have produced machine-dog versions, Poké Ball variants, and even bipedal robots, with the community showcasing creations across Bilibili and Zhihu . As 葬AI put it, Xiaozhi represents "another path for AI hardware beyond the to-VC playbook"—relying on user co-creation rather than top-down product design, with "the prize pool still stacking" .