This is a link to the technical document. (English)
https://squeezlabs.github.io/handcrank/
The following is an excerpt from the domestic AI Times article
https://www.aitimes.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=211953
A unique AI device that users can power directly with their hands has emerged. It is described as a device that optimizes power consumption according to the required use, without relying on massive data centers that consume enormous amounts of power and cause environmental problems.
According to foreign media outlets such as The Register, computer scientist Katrin Tomanek and Alex Kaufman, former leader of Google's Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group, recently unveiled a manual crank-powered voice AI assistant called 'CrankGPT'.
The device only works when the user manually turns the handle (crank) to supply electricity. It has a capacitor board built in to temporarily store power, but it can only last for about 20 seconds after the crank operation is stopped, so you have to keep moving your hand. To start and begin communicating with AI, you need to crank continuously for 30 seconds.
They said it took a week to come up with the idea and several months of work to create an actual working product. They also founded a startup called 'Squeez' that develops small, personalized AI models, and is experimenting with the possibilities of edge AI that minimizes energy and internet connectivity.
The reason for developing the device is clear. Co-founder Kaufman said, "Asking Claude to add two numbers is like using a wrecking ball to catch a fly," pointing out the excessive resource waste of existing large language models (LLMs).
He continued, "Squeez creates efficient and privacy-preserving models that can run on small, inexpensive hardware to solve specific problems." He cited examples such as voice recognition models for people with strong accents or language disabilities, and local AI specialized only in gardening or car repair.
The CrankGPT project is a demonstration for fun and core value proof, and there are no plans to mass-produce commercial products. However, he added that he would be willing to try if someone funded it.
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