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.
mikewarot 44 minutes ago [-]
As someone who walked away from a 5 car sandwich this past week
HANG UP AND DRIVE!
Don't talk, don't try to do anything other maybe listening to some music while you're driving.
giveita 23 hours ago [-]
I agree. For safety mostly but even for "fuck cant we just drive somewhere and that be considered enough achievement, like it is 1989"
bombcar 23 hours ago [-]
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.
M_farhan_h 22 hours ago [-]
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.
schmichael 22 hours ago [-]
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!
kelvinjps 1 hours ago [-]
For me voice control is not only about multitasking, but just being able to continue to work without being sitted down. For example I use voice control while standing or walking and I get more ideas that way that being sitted
dmitrygr 4 hours ago [-]
+1
People do not multitask well. The median driver can barely keep a car on the road in perfect weather on a good day. Please stop helping distract them!
Luckily, most states lave laws about this, and drivers will get fined. Sadly, manufacturers rarely get fined. The people who made the original "hands on wheel" defeat device for Teslas got away with it, IIRC
citizenpaul 3 hours ago [-]
The problem is that probably over 98% of the roads in the country are almost 0 chance of unexpected event. Nearly empty roads, small towns and cities with crosswalks that never see a single pedestrian.
In the bay though. Holy crap driving here was a wake up call for me. You cannot drive distracted here. I've driven in every major US city. The bay is by far the worst. Yes even then NYC, ATL and Miami. Chicago or Houston is a probably 2nd worst.
At the same time my partner often gets mad at me for refusing to do anything but focus when I drive. So I agree in general but I'm not everyone. This device seems like it will help people avoid incidents.
amarant 2 hours ago [-]
Please hand your driver's licence and car keys over at your nearest police station.
Quickly, before you kill someone
yard2010 1 hours ago [-]
You can't be distracted from driving no matter where you are driving or when. When driving you have to be 100% focused in driving because every tiny risk you take can be fatal or worse.
I hate to be this guy but I've lost too many people for small stupid mistakes. The equivalent of this is getting killed when you accidentally bump into someone in the supermarket. This is just not fair.
Never take a chance, stay safe, life is precious and fragile.
KuriousCat 4 hours ago [-]
It’s baffling that on one hand we suspend in‑drive app interactions for safety, yet on the other, a product built to sidestep those safeguards and promote driver multitasking still attracts funding. I’m a little sorry to say it, but celebrating ‘move fast’ execution without deeper safety thinking is genuinely disturbing.
chis 55 minutes ago [-]
I guess I read it as the opposite. This would allow someone to use purely voice control to interact with maps, podcasts, etc since iphones have pretty limited voice controls built in. Plus obviously accessibility use cases.
actionfromafar 12 minutes ago [-]
I'm not convinced this tech is really such a good idea.
If all you are trying to do is finding the right podcast episode, it might be quite a bit better than fiddling with a screen.
The reason conversations can be held safely between the driver and with (some! people are different) other occupants in the same car, is that all occupants can asses what is happening and react to microcues from the driver in realtime. (Phone calls add many milliseconds in reaction time, plus the other person is not situationally aware.)
I do think an AI could help here though. This app isn't quite that. The AI would have to be very fast and responsive, notice with cameras and microphones when the driver needs a microbreak in the conversation, seamlessly continue when appropriate, perhaps be plugged in to the car radar and so on. Really be a polite and attentive passenger.
aftbit 53 minutes ago [-]
The fact that you need to install a hardware device to fake tap inputs is really sad. It should just be possible to install an app on your phone and check a box that says "let this app pretend to be me in a way that is indistinguishable for all other apps". Of course, users must be protected from malware, and app publishers must be protected from users who want to interact with their apps in an automated way. Somehow that all overrides the underlying truth that users should be in control of their own systems, and leads to hacks like this to bypass it.
UltraSane 27 minutes ago [-]
Android supports this functionality with the name of Accessibility.
M_farhan_h 1 days ago [-]
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.
pedalpete 23 hours ago [-]
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
M_farhan_h 22 hours ago [-]
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.
pedalpete 18 hours ago [-]
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.
ddalex 2 hours ago [-]
Super nice work ! I'm impressed.
But it seems like a terrible hack - using the phone through the limited interface designed for humans instead of actually using the proper APIs. Not to say that any effort from Apple to improve Siri will just render this product obsolete instantly.
stingrae 4 hours ago [-]
This is very cool. Will Apple allow this app to be deployed on the app store?
jacquesm 24 hours ago [-]
This is seriously impressive. You guys did more in 8 weeks than some teams will accomplish in a multiple of that.
M_farhan_h 22 hours ago [-]
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.
jacquesm 17 hours ago [-]
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.
chermanowicz 2 hours ago [-]
Will you offer this without a subscription fee?
I like it but for this it should just be a small voice model running on device, not cloud - especially given you don't use APIs.
I think you'll get a lot of adoption if it doesn't have a subscription or cloud requirement.
cushychicken 3 hours ago [-]
This is cool. A hundred prototypes in eight weeks is no mean feat.
Y’all made a lot of smart choices to keep your timetable. Not least of which was finding - and listening to - a good CM partner.
turtlebits 3 hours ago [-]
Most people I know use a case with their phone. How do you get around that problem?
chermanowicz 1 hours ago [-]
It looks like there are spacers that might fill in different gaps depending on a case - the whole usb plug looks a bit long to suit different cases
YeahThisIsMe 3 hours ago [-]
It's not their problem to get around.
yonatan8070 2 hours ago [-]
If their product needs to interface with the average iPhone, I think it does need to be compatible with at least some cases
renewiltord 24 hours ago [-]
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.
M_farhan_h 22 hours ago [-]
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.
jcmontx 4 hours ago [-]
It's amazing, congrats!! What's the expected price for the general public?
3 hours ago [-]
xnx 1 days ago [-]
Impressive. Hardware like this is only necessary on iOS because it doesn't have software accessibility features like Android, right?
giveita 23 hours ago [-]
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.
chermanowicz 1 hours ago [-]
How do you implement the same thing on Android?
M_farhan_h 22 hours ago [-]
Yeah you got it, this is our way of playing within the rules, but allowing an experience we wish we had with our phones.
yujonglee 4 hours ago [-]
Super impressed and inspired!
varispeed 23 hours ago [-]
If it proves popular, how do you protect yourself from Google or Apple eating your breakfast by simply implementing this in the OS itself?
M_farhan_h 22 hours ago [-]
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.
chis 1 hours ago [-]
I seriously doubt apple will ever have the level of voice control that this would provide. It's a great idea for a product!
One obvious dumb question is is there a video input for the device? I mean how does it know what screen it's on, where to find the buttons to click. It seems like the next level would be to add a video capture device too
doctorpangloss 3 hours ago [-]
Well anything that could defeat integrity is on their radar.
IncreasePosts 1 hours ago [-]
Probably - keep your costs low and try to sell a bunch before these features are baked into the OS, which is almost certainly coming soon with the current "AI in everything".
For example, if you're old enough, do you remember those devices that were all about getting your phone/ipod with a 3.5mm jack to interface with your car audio system? There were 3.5mm -> cassette adapters, and bluetooth -> 3.5mm dongles abound before bluetooth became commonplace in cars and phones.
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.
HANG UP AND DRIVE!
Don't talk, don't try to do anything other maybe listening to some music while you're driving.
In 2025 we can’t spend 10 minutes without doing something else while traveling at speeds that would make a sailor blush.
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.
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!
People do not multitask well. The median driver can barely keep a car on the road in perfect weather on a good day. Please stop helping distract them!
Luckily, most states lave laws about this, and drivers will get fined. Sadly, manufacturers rarely get fined. The people who made the original "hands on wheel" defeat device for Teslas got away with it, IIRC
In the bay though. Holy crap driving here was a wake up call for me. You cannot drive distracted here. I've driven in every major US city. The bay is by far the worst. Yes even then NYC, ATL and Miami. Chicago or Houston is a probably 2nd worst.
At the same time my partner often gets mad at me for refusing to do anything but focus when I drive. So I agree in general but I'm not everyone. This device seems like it will help people avoid incidents.
Quickly, before you kill someone
I hate to be this guy but I've lost too many people for small stupid mistakes. The equivalent of this is getting killed when you accidentally bump into someone in the supermarket. This is just not fair.
Never take a chance, stay safe, life is precious and fragile.
If all you are trying to do is finding the right podcast episode, it might be quite a bit better than fiddling with a screen.
But... cognitive load is a thing.
https://road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2021...
The reason conversations can be held safely between the driver and with (some! people are different) other occupants in the same car, is that all occupants can asses what is happening and react to microcues from the driver in realtime. (Phone calls add many milliseconds in reaction time, plus the other person is not situationally aware.)
I do think an AI could help here though. This app isn't quite that. The AI would have to be very fast and responsive, notice with cameras and microphones when the driver needs a microbreak in the conversation, seamlessly continue when appropriate, perhaps be plugged in to the car radar and so on. Really be a polite and attentive passenger.
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 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.
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.
But it seems like a terrible hack - using the phone through the limited interface designed for humans instead of actually using the proper APIs. Not to say that any effort from Apple to improve Siri will just render this product obsolete instantly.
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.
Y’all made a lot of smart choices to keep your timetable. Not least of which was finding - and listening to - a good CM partner.
We live in a physical world, and some of us should build things for it.
It eventually needs to do something the phone software cant do itself. For example more powerful AI chip than the phone has.
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.
One obvious dumb question is is there a video input for the device? I mean how does it know what screen it's on, where to find the buttons to click. It seems like the next level would be to add a video capture device too
For example, if you're old enough, do you remember those devices that were all about getting your phone/ipod with a 3.5mm jack to interface with your car audio system? There were 3.5mm -> cassette adapters, and bluetooth -> 3.5mm dongles abound before bluetooth became commonplace in cars and phones.