This project is guided by the principle of parsimonious commands: the idea that simple, concise strings can be incredibly powerful and enable rapid onboarding and development. Just as the HTTP 402 error is a simple string that can represent a complex system of non-pecuniary exchange, the following five commands form the core of our "sub-minimum-viable-robot," each one a powerful abstraction for a complex operation.
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rsync -av --delete Desktop/OSO/ bestape@10.213.5.207:~/OSO/- Power: This is our one-liner for deployment. It efficiently synchronizes the local development environment with the robot, ensuring the robot's code and assets are always up-to-date. The
--deleteflag makes it a powerful mirroring tool, maintaining an exact replica of the local state on the robot.
- Power: This is our one-liner for deployment. It efficiently synchronizes the local development environment with the robot, ensuring the robot's code and assets are always up-to-date. The
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ssh 10.213.5.207- Power: This is the gateway to the robot's "brain." It provides secure, direct access to the robot's operating system, allowing for real-time debugging, manual control, and execution of commands.
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screen or screen -r- Power: This command provides persistence and resilience. By running the robot's main process in a
screensession, we ensure that it continues to operate even if the SSH connection is lost. We can detach and reattach at will, making it easy to monitor the robot's status.
- Power: This command provides persistence and resilience. By running the robot's main process in a
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source ~/.virtualenvs/pimoroni/bin/activate- Power: This command ensures a consistent and reproducible environment. By activating a Python virtual environment, we isolate the robot's dependencies, preventing conflicts and ensuring that the code runs as expected every time.
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(while true; do for img in OSO/*.png; do python3 OSO/image.py --file "$img"; sleep 60; done; done) &- Power: This is the robot's entire core logic in a single, parsimonious line. It's a perpetual loop that defines the robot's behavior: displaying images from a directory on the e-ink screen. Running it as a background process (
&) frees up the terminal for other tasks.
- Power: This is the robot's entire core logic in a single, parsimonious line. It's a perpetual loop that defines the robot's behavior: displaying images from a directory on the e-ink screen. Running it as a background process (
The project aims to create a system for DJs to receive non-pecuniary "tokens of love" during their live sets. This involves using .eth subdomains, QR codes, and a Raspberry Pi with an e-ink display to show the gifts. The team is also exploring the concept of using the HTTP 402 error for non-monetary "payments" and "joyforking" the Liquity V2 protocol to handle these gift-based transactions.
This project is an exploration of what we are calling "postmodern agile robotics," a new paradigm for building and conceptualizing robots in the age of AI.
Through our work, we've identified two types of Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) in robotics:
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The Conscious MVP: This is a robot that is immediately recognizable as such by "common sense." It has a physical form that aligns with our preconceived notions of what a robot should look like. Our previous project, cheerbotme/ethglobalnyc2025, is an example of a "conscious" MVP. The 3D-printed chassis was key to its acceptance as a robot.
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The Subconscious MVP: This is a robot that is functionally viable, but it is not immediately perceived as a robot by an outside observer. It's a "subconscious" MVP because its "robot-ness" is not immediately apparent. This project, the "sub-minimum-viable-robot," is an example of a "subconscious" MVP.
The "postmodern" aspect of our work is an exploration of the boundaries of what constitutes a "robot." We are deconstructing the traditional definition to see what is truly essential. In this project, we are intentionally "going too far" with our deconstruction. We have removed the physical chassis to see what happens when a robot is reduced to its bare functional components: a screen and a single-board computer.
From a purely hardware perspective, this "subconscious" MVP is identical to our previous "conscious" MVP. The only difference is the plastic chassis, which serves no functional purpose but is critical for human perception and our inherent biases. This exploration allows us to ask important questions about the nature of robotics, user perception, and the role of form in the age of AI.
Our development methodology is "agile." We are not building a complete, polished robot from the start. Instead, we are building a "sub-minimum-viable-robot"—a functional core that we can iterate upon. This agile approach allows us to quickly test ideas and adapt to new challenges, which is essential in a fast-moving field like AI.
My experience at EthGlobal Buenos Aires highlighted another crucial business management innovation: the "Get Out of the Office" Mandate. Inspired by Steve Blank's Customer Development, this principle emphasizes that real innovation and product-market fit are discovered not through internal assumptions, but through direct engagement with users in their natural environment.
During the hackathon, my initial assumption was to use the "sub-minimum-viable-robot" for QR code tipping. However, by deploying the cheerbot on the Devconnect music stage and observing real-world interactions, I discovered a more impactful use case: capturing and displaying semi-professional photos to foster shared memories and nostalgia in real-time. The unique features of the Pimoroni Inky 13.3 e-ink display (readability, battery life, analog aesthetic) proved invaluable for this unexpected application.
This pivot, driven by direct user interaction and agile adaptation, reinforced several key innovation principles:
- User-centric discovery: Assumptions made internally often miss the mark; real learning comes from users.
- Rapid iteration and pivot: Be ready to change course based on real-world feedback.
- Embrace surprises: Unexpected interactions can lead to the most valuable insights.
- Blended methodologies: Customer Development, Lean Startup, and Agile principles complement each other for grounded innovation.
The "Get Out of the Office" Mandate, therefore, argues that true product success and innovative breakthroughs are unlocked by immersing oneself in the user's context, being flexible, and learning from real-world feedback—even if it means abandoning initial plans for more resonant discoveries.
Building on the principles of "Postmodern Agile Robotics" and the "Get Out of the Office" mandate, we introduce the concept of Cosmolocal ETHGlobal Meets Agile & Lean Startup. This innovation leverages Michel Bauwens' philosophy of Cosmolocalism – blending global knowledge networks with localized, autonomous production – and integrates it with the rapid innovation cycles of ETHGlobal events, Agile development, and Lean Startup methodologies.
This approach creates a powerful ecosystem for driving meaningful innovation by:
- Cosmolocalism setting the "why" and "where": Defining a vision for decentralized, community-driven solutions that are globally informed but locally enacted.
- ETHGlobal providing the "how": Offering an open, collaborative platform for building decentralized tools and protocols aligned with cosmolocal principles.
- Agile and Lean Startup bringing the "action": Enabling flexible, iterative product development, rapid experimentation, and continuous learning from real-world user feedback.
Our organization, Make.DIY, actively explores this balance by establishing local makerspaces (e.g., Prospera DUNA P1) that act as physical hubs for local innovation. Concurrently, we engage in "cosmo-local hacking" by participating in ETHGlobal events worldwide, integrating global decentralized innovation with local action. My cheerbot project at ETHGlobal NYC 2025 exemplifies this blending of local tinkering with global collaboration.
This fusion accelerates the development of solutions that are both locally meaningful and globally scalable, representing a promising path for the future of technology-driven business innovation and community empowerment.