It\u2019s funny how AI agents currently lack avatars. ChatGPT exists as an app, so does Claude, and Gemini, and Apple Intelligence. However, voice assistants have \u2018bodies\u2019 in the form of smart speakers, that let you talk to them. Braz de Pina found himself asking a fundamental question \u2013 why do AI agents lack bodies? And why do voice assistants have \u2018cylindrical\u2019 bodies the way Alexa and HomePod do? And more importantly, what if AI as we know it, existed as hardware?<\/p>\n
What would such an AI look like? For de Pina, it would look like the Copilot Home. Designed as a conceptual device to \u2018house\u2019 Microsoft\u2019s AI Copilot, this cyberpunk-inspired dock lets you interface with the AI in a way that doesn\u2019t feel \u2018virtual\u2019. The Copilot Home is a physical device that you can talk to, press buttons to maneuver, and treat as your true real-life assistant for all things Microsoft<\/a>.<\/p>\n Designer: Braz de Pina<\/p>\n<\/p>\n de Pina\u2019s Copilot Home is his aspiration of what a \u2018physical\u2019 AI device could look like. It\u2019s purely conceptual, he points out, even though he\u2019s a principal designer at Microsoft. In a way, even though the device isn\u2019t real, it\u2019s come from a place that\u2019s as legit as it can get \u2013 the mind of a Microsoft designer. The device takes cues from Cyberpunk, Japanese Anime, and a little Dieter Rams. It\u2019s all-metal, featuring a very anodized-aluminum-a-la-Apple aesthetic, but has just enough visual drama to give it that punkish character that makes the device look futuristic and mildly otherworldly.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Broadly, the device has 2 control buttons, a black and white display, a large volume ring, and a speaker in the center of the ring. The buttons feature the Chinese character for \u2018home\u2019, and the Copilot logo, probably indicating at the two controls that let you switch in and out of AI mode. You can talk to the AI and ask it pretty much anything that you would ask Microsoft Copilot, from details about your day and your calendar, to asking for new messages, weather analysis, and market reports. Once you\u2019re done, hit the Home button to go back to the dormant mode, with the screen on the left displaying relevant information, notifications, etc.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The volume ring is quirky, but in a way that doesn\u2019t take away functionality. Inspired probably by the rotary dial on phones from back in the day, it features a massive hubless ring that rotates around the speaker grill, allowing you to control the audio level of your assistant. In the center is a fairly large audio unit\u2026 but to be honest, I\u2019m not entirely sure if Copilot has any music integration, which would mean the Copilot Home can\u2019t play songs from any streaming service\u2026 unless it runs agentic commands on your computer to run services like Spotify or Apple Music.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The only other button in the equation is a power button on top, colored in red to differentiate it from the rest of the Copilot Home\u2019s controls. Unlike your Alexa or HomePod, you can actually switch your Copilot Home off (instead of having to disconnect the power), which feels oddly liberating. The orange accents contrast wonderfully against the silver finish of the device, creating something that really doesn\u2019t look like it could come from \u2018polished\u2019 companies like Microsoft. There\u2019s a little bit of Teenage Engineering in the Copilot Home\u2019s punk-ish design. It\u2019s serious, but not too serious. Powerful, but still grounded in a sense of \u2018fun\u2019 that makes you less scared of how powerful Microsoft\u2019s AI is. Sadly, this one\u2019s just for wishful thinking. Microsoft\u2019s probably not working on a Copilot hardware device. After all, they own a controlling stake in OpenAI, which is making its own ChatGPT wearable<\/a> with Jony Ive\u2019s design studio\u2026 so Microsoft doesn\u2019t technically need another AI device. Although it would be fun if this one wasn\u2019t just a figment of Braz de Pina\u2019s imagination. Funnily enough, it isn\u2019t de Pina\u2019s only Copilot-related idea. Earlier this year, he unveiled a rather adorable, whimsical looking Copilot Dock concept<\/a>, which we loved too!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The post Cyberpunk-inspired Microsoft Copilot Dock gives you a dedicated AI Control Center for your PC<\/a> first appeared on Yanko Design<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s funny how AI agents currently lack avatars. ChatGPT exists as an app, so does Claude, and Gemini, and Apple Intelligence. However, voice assistants have \u2018bodies\u2019 in the form of smart speakers, that let you … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n