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Companion, TheCube

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Companion, TheCube is a modular, AI-powered, voice-enabled desktop companion powered by Raspberry Pi 5 and CompanionOS. It helps you manage tasks, stay organized, and explore AI-driven tools—all while keeping your data private. With a stackable design, open-source software, and customizable hardware, TheCube is both a personal assistant and a platform for makers, developers, and creative minds.

Core Features


AI-powered assistant with natural voice & touch control

Stackable, modular design for total customization

Built-in display, speakers, microphone, and sensors



Ever-expanding library of apps and accessories

Fully open source and developer-friendly

AI-Powered Interaction


TheCube is designed to be an intelligent desktop assistant, powered by advanced large language models (LLMs) running in the cloud. This enables highly capable natural language interaction, including multi-turn conversations, task automation, summarization, and more. For those who prefer a fully local setup, TheCube also supports optional on-device intent detection. While less capable, these offline algorithms ensure complete privacy while enabling basic functionality without ever connecting to the internet.

Privacy by Design


powerful AI features, nothing sent to the cloud is stored—ever. The only exception is opt-in telemetry, which helps us improve functionality and performance based on anonymized usage data. If you choose not to share anything, your Cube still runs securely and effectively.

Modular Ecosystem


TheCube’s modularity allows you to expand and customize in two distinct ways:


  • Stackable Add-ons — These include toppers, TheMiniCubes, TheWideCubes, and community-made accessories. They snap in magnetically using a physical nub-and-groove system and communicate via low-power wireless protocols such as WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, or Ethernet.


  • Hardware Expansion Ports — Located on the back unit, these offer physical high-speed interfaces like HDMI, USB 3.0, I²C, SPI, UART, and CAN for direct integration with displays, sensors, cameras, or custom circuitry.

Display and Visuals


Every Cube includes a bright, full-color, 720x720 4" LCD touchscreen display, ideal for showing schedules, app data, animations, and interactive UI elements. This becomes the face of your Cube—both literally and functionally. On-screen characters can be customized with animation packs, or even replaced entirely with a new character.

Audio Input and Output


TheCube features a built-in stereo microphone pair for voice input and a stereo side-firing speakers for responsive audio. Whether you're asking for reminders or getting AI-generated feedback, it sounds clear and natural right out of the box.

Connectivity and Expansion


With built-in WiFi and Bluetooth, TheCube connects effortlessly to your network and nearby devices. For developers and tinkerers, the physical expansion ports open up a world of possibilities—build your own modules, interfaces, or hardware add-ons that communicate directly with TheCube’s runtime.

Power Supply


TheCube is powered via USB-C Power Delivery. There is no internal battery, which ensures stable operation and avoids thermal or safety concerns in always-on environments. Use it on your desk, mounted to a wall, or integrated into a workstation—no charging required.

CompanionOS and App Ecosystem


Running on CompanionOS, a highly customized, Linux-based operating system based on Raspbian, TheCube supports a growing ecosystem of modular apps. These range from voice utilities and productivity tools to interactive games and developer utilities. Apps can be created, shared, and installed by anyone in the community using our open API and developer toolkit.

Developer Friendly


TheCube is built with creators in mind. You can develop custom apps, integrate external APIs, build new hardware modules, or fork the runtime itself. GitHub integration, SDK support, and fully open hardware documentation make it ideal for experimentation and extension.


At its core, TheCube is powered by a Raspberry Pi 5, providing a familiar and well-supported platform with excellent documentation and an active global developer community. This means you can tap into the vast ecosystem of Pi-compatible tools, accessories, and software while still enjoying TheCube’s unique capabilities and form factor.

Form Factor and Build


TheCube is 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm and constructed from durable, high-quality ABS. The design is minimalist, compact, and made to complement your workspace. Its magnetic add-on interface is robust and intuitive, encouraging physical interaction without clutter or cables.

More Than a Tool. It Has a Personality.


TheCube isn’t just helpful—it’s alive with charm. Whether it’s reacting to your presence, commenting on your day, or throwing out the occasional joke, TheCube has a playful personality designed to keep your desk feeling alive.


You can customize its mood, swap out its face, or even build your own expressive characters using our open personality framework. Choose from built-in personas like Geo, Rawr, Lil Flame, or TheCube itself—or make your own.


It doesn’t just do what you say—it makes you smile while doing it. It even has its own blog.


Under the Hood

For developers, engineers, and hardware enthusiasts, here’s a detailed breakdown of TheCube’s architecture and internals—everything you need to know to build, extend, or hack your own.

Core Compute

Processor: Broadcom BCM2712 (Raspberry Pi 5 SoC)

  • 4× Cortex-A76 cores @ 2.4 GHz
  • VideoCore VII GPU, supports OpenGL ES 3.1 and Vulkan 1.2

RAM: 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB LPDDR4X (based on variant)

Storage:

  • Internal NVMe M.2 SSD (user replaceable)
  • Capacities: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB
  • Mounted via PCIe 3.0 x1 using the Pi 5’s native PCIe interface

Internal PCBs

Main Board:

  • Signal routing, NFC interface, stereo audio amp
  • Power distribution and Pi GPIO integration via 40-pin header

Power Board:

  • USB-C PD negotiation
  • Multi-rail voltage step-down and regulation

LCD Backpack:

  • Adapts Pi 5’s DSI interface to LCD panel’s DSI configuration

Microphone Carriers (×2):

  • Each holds a single MEMS mic for stereo pickup
  • Independent shielding and analog routing

USB-C Extension Board:

  • Relocates Pi 5’s USB-C port to rear of enclosure
  • Maintains data + power throughput for accessories and expansion

Display & Audio

Display: 4.0" 720×720 IPS LCD with capacitive multi-touch

Audio Out: 2W downward-firing mono speaker driven by onboard amplifier

Audio In: Stereo MEMS microphone pair with software preprocessing

Touch Input: Direct integration with CompanionOS for gesture and tap control

Magnetic Stacking Interface

Form Factor: Supports vertical stacking of add-ons: toppers, TheMiniCubes, TheWideCubes

Connection: Each position includes an NFC reader for module detection and pairing

Communication: Wireless via WiFi, Bluetooth, or Ethernet (if module-equipped)

Power: Accessories that attach magnetically have individual power requirements. See these products' specs for more details.

Expansion Ports

TheCube includes two rear-mounted user-accessible expansion ports—designed to support future hardware upgrades, accessories, and community-made modules. These ports connect directly to the Pi 5’s high-speed interfaces via internal routing and can provide access to:

  • HDMI 2.0
  • USB 3.0
  • I²C
  • SPI
  • UART
  • CAN bus
  • 1-Wire
  • MIPI CSI / DSI 

Power

Input: USB-C PD only, 40W+ recommended (included adapter is 45W)

Power Delivery: Supports 12V-20V input, internally regulated

Networking & Wireless

WiFi 802.11ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz) and Bluetooth 5.0 (onboard Pi radio)

NFC Support: Built into magnetic stacking interface, used for module pairing and ID

Ethernet: Available via optional rear expansion module

Software & OS

Operating System: CompanionOS

  • Based on Raspbian (Debian Bookworm)
  • Deeply customized with hardened boot process, overlay filesystem, and modular runtime

AI/LLM Support:

  • Default: Cloud-connected LLM processing via secure proxy
  • Fallback: On-device intent detection using spaCy with optimized pipeline

Update System:

  • OTA updates with signed firmware
  • Optional offline install via USB

Developer & API Access 

Local Runtime API: Unix socket + HTTP interface for app communication

SDKs: Python, JavaScript, C++, Rust (in development)

App Models: Event-driven services, interactive apps, and embedded Web UIs

Hardware Extensibility: Full electrical documentation, module standards, and pinouts published on GitHub

Open Source: Software, schematics, and mechanical files available for developer use or remixing

Thermal Management

Internal Active Cooler: Compact heatsink + fan assembly on Pi SoC

Back Panel Cooling Fan: Pull-through design maintains airflow across stacked modules

Thermal Profile: Quiet under idle; dynamic fan control under load

OUR APPROACH

 Community Resources

TheCube was designed from the ground up to be open, extensible, and hackable. Whether you're building new apps, integrating with third-party APIs, designing hardware add-ons, or forking the entire runtime, you're welcome here.

Developer Resources

  • GitHub
    Browse the open-source repositories, submit issues, contribute code, or fork your own version of CompanionOS and TheCube runtime.
    github.com/Companion-TheCube

  •  Discord Community
    Get real-time support, connect with other devs, share projects, and join beta testing programs.
    Join the Discord

  • 4thecube.com
    Home of TheCube’s API, developer docs, app manifest specifications, device management tools, and system architecture guides.
    Visit 4thecube.com

  • Printables.com Library
    Access official toppers, mounts, and community-created 3D-printable accessories for TheCube.
    Visit Our Printables Page

What You Can Build

  • Apps — Web UIs, background agents, or CLI-style tools powered by our API
  • Voice Extensions — Add wakeword actions, function calls, and custom behaviors
  • Hardware Modules — Build custom expansion boards or wireless stackable devices
  • Toppers & Shells — Design 3D-printable accessories, faces, mounts, and expressive add-ons
  • CompanionOS Mods — Customize the runtime, swap out AI services, or roll your own UX stack

Developer Tools & Support

  • Local HTTP and Unix socket APIs
  • Cross-platform SDKs (Python, JavaScript, C++; Rust in development)
  • Command-line tooling for app packaging and testing
  • OTA dev firmware channel
  • Fully open hardware and software stack

Truly Open Hardware

We publish everything:

  • Software source code
  • STL and STEP files for physical parts
  • Electrical schematics and PCB layouts
  • Interface standards for expansion modules

Whether you're writing code, building circuits, or modeling a goofy 3D-printed hat for TheCube—you are part of the team.

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