Hey Everyone,
This is Daniel. Together with Matt and our trusted affiliates, we are building Inanimate - a consumer electronics company for the AI Era.
This is Lab Notes, where we share our work and inspirations.
Previously…
Here’s what’s happening in The Lab.
Save the Date - 19th November
Thank you so much for following our journey over the last 12 months. Expectations set will hopefully be met in the next few weeks. Which is to say - we are really happy to be at this moment, and…
You are all invited to the Inanimate WORKS ‘26 Launch Event!
Save the date for 19th November in Shoreditch (London).
We will have all five WORKS on show to share with you for the first time.
The whole Inanimate team, and the many collaborators who made WORKS happen will be there.
RSVP now over on Luma. Capacity is limited.
Watch the Preview
If you’ve been following along on Instagram, you’ll have noticed our “Preview” videos starting to drop.
These are real Inanimate agentic experiences running on disembodied WORKS components. They are the first glimpse at what our Promptable Products will actually feel like.
Welcome Kiran
We’re excited to be collaborating with Kiran Scott de Martinville, a creative technologist and inventor of the Are.na Frame and Sky Vase.
He joins our growing network of designers, makers, and technologists bringing Promptable Products to the world.
Skyvase
What’s Happening
Four weeks to launch. Everyone is locked in.
Production: Production partner is on-board for the manufacturing run of our limited-release WORKS devices.
Website: Full site and shop design and build project is moving at full speed as we prepare to take orders.
Web App: Major updates across all elements of the app - from overall design to device management.
Plugins: Developed a number of plugins that bring superpowers to WORKS devices, including a particularly interesting custom-trained AI model (more about that at launch)
App Library: Building a library of different apps for devices - all of which will be available to WORKS users.
What else?
Considering “weird” as a brand promise, exploring authentic-retro as a route through the End of Cultural History, and reflecting on the advent of dark models trained on hate.
I think the pressure might be getting to us.
Yes, and…
Here’s what has been influencing us.
Tracking: Personal AI Devices
Lot’s of movements in the Inanimate-adjacent space that we are tracking - from hyperscalers to early-stage start-ups.
Apple Home View - Room-scale, multi-user UI from Cupertino - a beachhead for more.
(Amazon) Bee - wearable and ambient AI devices for capturing audio context
Ghost - Sovereign inference running local models in the home.
Oki Home - Personal context vault and local model for the home
Lapis One - Dedicated agent computer for running 24/7 workflows
Caligra - New desktop computer + OS for focused, professional use.
“Come With Me as I Stuff My Father Into a Balloon”
In the 90s, cheap Japanese electronics enabled a wave of teenagers to produce music from their bedrooms. It changed our culture. Now the founder of the Ministry of Sound sits in the House of Lords.
Two decades later, smartphones and short-form video gave a platform to everyone. Vast consequences have followed. Sometimes I wonder if this was a good thing.
But videos like this give me hope. Enjoy.
See you next time.