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DinoDesk AI is a LEGO dinosaur desktop companion that splits its work between two machines. A Raspberry Pi on the desk handles the screen, sound, buttons and motion. A PC on the same network runs a small gateway that sends each request either to Gemma 4, served locally through LM Studio, or to a Gemini model in the cloud. The project was described by its author, bebechien, in a 2026 article published for Google AI, and the project repository corroborates the main software components. The build is still a work in progress, and the voice chat the author plans is not finished.
How the system is divided
The Raspberry Pi is the client. It sends OpenAI-compatible requests over Wi-Fi to the PC gateway, and the gateway decides which engine answers. The repository describes the gateway as a FastAPI dynamic model gateway and the client as a finite-state-machine (FSM) application with an embedded web server and a web testbench.
- Raspberry Pi client: runs the state machine, drives the LCD, speaker and motors, and reads the buttons.
- PC gateway: a FastAPI service that routes each request to a local engine (LM Studio running Gemma 4) or a cloud engine (Gemini Flash or Gemini Live).
- Local network: the Pi must be able to reach the PC over Wi-Fi, because every request passes through the gateway.
The three routing modes
The article defines three modes. The table below lists each one with the engine and purpose the author gives.
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| Mode | Engine | Purpose stated in the article |
|---|---|---|
| Local Mode | Gemma 4 via LM Studio | Casual chat, timers and quick status questions |
| Cloud Mode | Gemini Flash or Gemini Live | More complex reasoning tasks |
| Auto-Hybrid Mode | Local Gemma by default; requests classified as complex go to Gemini Flash | Escalation for harder requests |
In Auto-Hybrid Mode, the classifier looks for trigger words. The article gives “explain,” “compare” and “write code” as examples. It does not publish the full rule set, so a reader cannot predict exactly which prompts will escalate.
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Latency: what was measured and what is not known
The author reports first-token latency for each route. These are project figures, not an external benchmark, and the article does not publish how they were produced.
| Route | First-token latency reported | Test conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Local Mode (Gemma 4 via LM Studio) | Approximately 200 ms | Not stated (hardware, workload and sample size are not published) |
| Cloud Mode (Gemini Flash or Gemini Live) | Approximately 800 ms | Not stated (network path, workload and sample size are not published) |
Treat these numbers as the author’s observations for one build. They do not show what another PC, network or Pi setup will achieve.
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Parts list
The article’s bill of materials is short, but several items are not identified by model:
- A Raspberry Pi with a 32GB microSD card. The Pi model is not named.
- A Pimoroni Pirate Audio Speaker board, used as the display and audio shield.
- A mini push button.
- A compact USB mini microphone. The model is not named.
- Motors for neck and tail movement. The motor or servo model is not named.
- Basic LEGO bricks and LEGO Technic mechanisms for the body. No specific set is identified.
The Pirate Audio board
The Pirate Audio board is the only part the article ties to an exact product. Pimoroni’s product page for the Pirate Audio Speaker for Raspberry Pi (PIM485) lists an I2S DAC and amplifier, an attached 1W mono speaker, a 1.3-inch 240×240 IPS LCD with an ST7789 driver, four tactile buttons, and compatibility with Raspberry Pi models that have a 40-pin header. Search for the product by that full name. Stock and prices change, so check the manufacturer’s listing or a retailer before buying.
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Expressions and the five states
The client runs five states, and each one coordinates the LCD eyes, 8-bit sounds and movement.
| State | When it applies | Display, sound and motion |
|---|---|---|
| Sleeping | After inactivity or darkness | Closed-eye display and relaxed movement |
| Idle | Standby | Blinking and an occasional chime |
| Listening | Button press or sensor trigger | Widened eyes and a rising beep |
| Thinking | Request sent to the router | Processing display and sounds, slow neck movement |
| Speaking | Streamed response arriving | Expressive display, typewriter-style beeps and tail movement |
Button map
The article assigns four GPIO pins. Pimoroni’s product page lists the same button pins for the board. That confirms the board’s wiring, but it does not show that the robot’s button logic works as described.
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| GPIO pin | Function in the article |
|---|---|
| GPIO 5 | Cancel or mute |
| GPIO 6 | Recenter the neck |
| GPIO 16 | Change expression or switch engine |
| GPIO 24 | Tail test and volume |
Running the client without the hardware
The repository includes a simulation path, so you can exercise parts of the software before you assemble the robot. The client can run on a PC to simulate expressions, button presses, prompt streaming, browser-based audio effects and gateway connectivity. The repository is organized into two main parts:
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- rpi_client: the core loop, the FSM, the web testbench, and a hardware directory covering the ST7789 display, GPIO and sound effects.
- pc_gateway: the gateway application that routes requests between the local and cloud engines.
The simulation shows that the software path is documented. It does not prove that every physical behavior, such as motor timing or speaker output on a real Pi, is complete.
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What is still unfinished
The author says the build is not finished. In the article, bebechien writes: “It’s still a work in progress and not quite perfect yet, but I’ll be back soon with fully implemented voice chat capabilities!” Voice interaction should be read as planned, not as a working end-to-end feature.
Privacy and cloud routing
The article’s phrase “100% visual privacy” refers to the absence of a camera. It does not mean that voice, transcripts or prompts stay on the device. Any request that Auto-Hybrid Mode or Cloud Mode escalates leaves the Pi and the local gateway and goes to a Gemini cloud service. If you need every request to stay local, use Local Mode only, and note that this setup cannot send harder requests to the cloud.
Affiliation
The repository states: “This is not an officially supported Google product.” The project is an independent build described by its author, not a Google release.
Checklist for a similar build
- A Raspberry Pi with a 40-pin header, a 32GB microSD card, and a network connection to a PC on the same Wi-Fi network.
- The Pimoroni Pirate Audio Speaker board, a mini push button, a compact USB microphone and motors for the neck and tail.
- A PC that can run LM Studio with Gemma 4. The article does not state minimum PC hardware.
- Gemini access if you want Cloud Mode or Auto-Hybrid Mode. The article does not describe the cloud account setup.
- The repository’s
pc_gatewayandrpi_clientcode, which you can run on a PC for simulation before wiring the Pi. - A plan for voice input that does not depend on the article’s unfinished voice chat.
The Bottom Line
DinoDesk AI is a documented, working hybrid design: a Raspberry Pi front end, a PC gateway that routes between Gemma 4 through LM Studio and Gemini, and a state machine that drives the expressions. Its speed figures are the author’s own, its voice chat is still in progress, and “no camera” does not mean nothing leaves the local setup. It is a useful reference for a Pi-based local-plus-cloud assistant, not a finished consumer product.
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