Ubo Pod – Raspberry Pi 4/5-Based Personal AI Assistant Launches on Kickstarter #Kickstarter @Raspberry_Pi

 The Ubo Pod Developer Edition (DE) is a new open-source AI vision and conversational assistant platform built around the Raspberry Pi 4 or 5. It’s designed for developers, tinkerers, and researchers who want full control over how their AI behaves — unlike traditional closed platforms such as Amazon Echo or Google Nest.

In short, Ubo Pod is your personal, privacy-respecting AI assistant that can run speech-to-text, LLMs, vision models, and text-to-speech either in the cloud or fully offline.

An Open and Customizable AI Assistant

Unlike commercial voice assistants that act as black boxes, the Ubo Pod is completely open-source, giving developers access to both hardware and software. It runs on Raspberry Pi OS with the Ubo App (Python-based), which can also be installed directly on any Pi 4 or Pi 5 — even without buying the device.

The platform combines a touchscreen GUI, a web-based interface (WebUI) for no-code setup, and an API for developers. That means you can create your own AI workflows, trigger custom actions, or connect to various AI providers with minimal effort.

Ubo Pod Hardware Overview

Models

• Ubo Pro 4 – based on Raspberry Pi 4
• Ubo Pro 5 – based on Raspberry Pi 5

Storage

• 32GB microSD (included and preloaded)
• Ubo Pro 5 adds M.2 PCIe slot for NVMe SSDs or AI accelerators

Display & Camera

• 1.54-inch color TFT IPS display (240 × 240 pixels)
• Built-in 5MP camera
• Supports official Raspberry Pi camera modules (V1/V2/Module 3)

Audio

• Dual stereo microphones (48 KHz)
• Dual 1W speakers with <0.1% THD
• Line Out with 40 mW output and 90 dB SNR

Networking (via Raspberry Pi SBC)

• Gigabit Ethernet
• WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0
• 4x USB ports (2x USB 3.0 + 2x USB 2.0)

Sensors & Controls

• Temperature sensor (±1°C accuracy)
• Ambient light sensor (up to 120 Klx range)
• 7-button soft-touch keypad
• 27x individually addressable RGB LEDs (SK6812 NeoPixel compatible)
• IR transmitter and receiver
• Camera privacy curtain and microphone hardware switch
• Active cooling system

Size & Weight

• Dimensions: 130 × 99 × 52 mm
• Weight: 340 g

Software Capabilities

The Ubo Pod isn’t just a smart speaker — it’s an entire AI experimentation platform.
It supports over 50 AI providers for tasks like:

• Speech-to-Text (STT)
• Text-to-Speech (TTS)
• Large Language Models (LLMs)
• Vision and memory systems

Developers can choose between cloud services or on-device private AI — ideal for users who prioritize privacy.

Open-Source Hardware and Software

Both the Ubo App and the hardware design files (PCB schematics, mechanical CAD) are open-source and available on GitHub. Developers can modify, remix, or contribute to the project freely.

Ubo Technology also provides demo videos, including a quick system overview and a 30-minute detailed demo, showcasing its full capabilities.

The Ubo Pod Developer Edition is now live on Kickstarter, with a funding goal of $25,000.

• Early bird reward tiers:

• $109 – Ubo Pro 4 (no SBC included)
• $129 – Ubo Pro 5 (no SBC included)

You’ll need to add your own Raspberry Pi 4 or 5, but everything else — enclosure, display, mic array, LEDs, and preloaded OS — comes ready to use.

More details and project updates can be found on the Kickstarter campaign page and the official Ubo Technology website.