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Meta launches Muse Gadgets, an open-source kit for Muse hardware

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Meta launches Muse Gadgets, an open-source kit for Muse hardware

On Friday, Meta introduced Muse Gadgets, an open-source project that lets developers build their own hardware that connects to Muse, the company's personal AI agent. TechCrunch describes Muse as an agent that books travel, fills out forms and shops on a user's behalf, and says it has already proven popular with the masses. The new project is aimed at tinkerers and hackers.

Meta is providing open-source firmware (the low-level software that runs a device) and a Linux software development kit, along with a few project ideas to get people started. Two examples: giving Muse a color e-ink display, or loading it onto a stick that plugs into a TV's HDMI port. The article says there don't appear to be many limits. Users can set up a low-cost hobbyist computer such as a Raspberry Pi, or an off-the-shelf ESP32 board, and then connect Muse "to your displays, buttons, sensors, actuators, and whatever else you’ve got lying on your workbench," in Meta's words. The company has also set up a Discord channel to support users.

Meta has tried the code itself. Nat Friedman, head of product at Meta's Superintelligence Labs, said in a post on X that the company built a gadget called Muse Home Link. The USB-C-powered device lets Muse connect to a home network and talk to the smart devices on it, including speakers and smart TVs. Meta made 5,000 Home Links and, according to Friedman, is giving them away free to Muse subscribers while supplies last. Friedman's post drew nearly 30,000 views in a few hours, so TechCrunch guesses the freebies have been claimed. The article also gives Friedman's timeline for Home Link shipping as a few weeks.

TechCrunch's view is that Muse Gadgets may not have wide appeal, but it fits Meta's all-in strategy to make Muse more than a standalone chatbot. Meta is also courting businesses. Earlier this week it introduced Muse for Small Business, which is free with usage limits and connects Muse to tools such as Shopify, Dropbox and Slack. It has also launched a new business unit, Meta Enterprise Platform, to push its AI offerings to businesses and corporate customers.

Key facts

  • Meta introduced Muse Gadgets on Friday: an open-source project for building hardware that connects to its Muse personal AI agent.
  • Meta supplies open-source firmware and a Linux SDK, plus project ideas such as a color e-ink display or an HDMI stick for a TV.
  • Builders can use a Raspberry Pi or an ESP32 board; Meta runs a Discord channel for support.
  • Meta's own gadget, Muse Home Link, is USB-C-powered and lets Muse talk to smart devices on a home network, including speakers and smart TVs.
  • Meta made 5,000 Home Links and is giving them free to Muse subscribers while supplies last, per Nat Friedman.

Why it matters

Muse Gadgets pushes Muse beyond a chat window and into physical devices that anyone can build. TechCrunch frames it as part of Meta's all-in strategy to make Muse more than a standalone chatbot, alongside Muse for Small Business and the new Meta Enterprise Platform unit. The hobbyist angle sits next to the business push: Meta is going after tinkerers, small businesses and corporate customers at once.

Who it affects

Mainly developers, makers and hardware hobbyists who want a personal AI agent wired into their own displays, buttons, sensors and actuators. Muse subscribers are affected directly, since they are the ones eligible for the free Home Link. Small businesses and larger companies are the audience for the separate Muse for Small Business and Meta Enterprise Platform moves.

How to use it

Set up a low-cost hobbyist computer such as a Raspberry Pi, or an off-the-shelf ESP32 board, then use Meta's open-source firmware and Linux SDK to connect Muse to your hardware. Meta suggests starting with a color e-ink display or a stick that plugs into a TV's HDMI port. Support is available through a Discord channel Meta has set up. If you would rather not build, Muse subscribers can request a Muse Home Link while supplies last.

How solid is it

The account comes from a single TechCrunch article that relays Meta's own notes and a post on X by Nat Friedman, head of product at Meta's Superintelligence Labs. Meta's description of the project and the Home Link giveaway are first-party statements. That Muse has proven popular with the masses is TechCrunch's phrasing, and the claim that the free units have likely been claimed is the author's guess, not a confirmed fact.

Risks and caveats

The Home Link giveaway is limited to 5,000 units and Muse subscribers, and TechCrunch suspects they are already gone. The article gives Friedman's shipping timeline only as a few weeks. TechCrunch itself says Muse Gadgets may not have wide appeal. The article does not name the open-source license.

“to your displays, buttons, sensors, actuators, and whatever else you’ve got lying on your workbench”

— Meta, on what Muse can be connected to, as quoted by TechCrunch