Have you ever wondered what would happen if you needed access to AI-powered knowledge in an off-grid emergency situation? No power, no network connectivity – just you and your wits. That’s exactly what prompted one innovative individual to create a portable AI-in-a-box that runs on solar, hand crank, and battery power for around $300.
The SERVE-AI-VAL Box, as it’s called, uses Google AI Edge Gallery and Gemma3:4b LLM on an XREAL Beam Pro, powered by a $50 MQOUNY solar/hand crank/USB power bank. The entire setup is held together with heavy-duty 3M Velcro-like picture hanging strips and stored in a Faraday Cage Bag – just in case of EMPs.
The creator’s goal was to build a portable AI-in-a-box that can run at least one language model or multiple models at an acceptable generation speed, requires no connectivity, is handheld and ruggedized, and accepts multiple power sources. The result is an impressive feat of DIY innovation.
The project’s GitHub repository includes a full parts list, pictures, and instructions for assembly, as well as software setup. If you’re interested in building your own off-grid AI solution, this is definitely worth checking out.
What do you think about the potential of portable AI-in-a-box solutions like this? Could they make a significant difference in emergency situations?