Boubou

Phones and robots

boubou serve keeps the model on your computer and lets a phone, a robot or an app on the same Wi-Fi talk to it.

Any robot or app can connect

Swap its cloud voice for a model on your computer. It needs three things:

  1. It speaks the OpenAI Realtime API over a WebSocket.
  2. Its settings let you change the server address.
  3. It is on the same Wi-Fi as your computer.

Four steps, with Reachy Mini as the example

Every robot and app connects the same way. Only the settings screen in step 3 looks different on yours.

  1. runboubou.com/models Pipeline $ npx boubou@beta run Copy Talk on this Mac. $ npx boubou@beta serve Copy Talk from a phone on the same Wi-Fi, or connect a robot or app. ✕ Not this one ✓ Copy this one

    On this site

    Copy a Pipeline model’s serve command

    Open Models and click a model marked Pipeline: only those speak the Realtime API. Its page shows two commands. Copy the second one, the one with serve.

    The first command, with run, only talks on the computer itself. A robot cannot join it.

    Choose a Pipeline model
  2. Terminal $ npx boubou@beta serve Phone Robot or app1In its settings, type these two:Address192.168.1.20Port26822Boubou then asks here before it lets it in. Press y.Guide with pictures: https://runboubou.com/connect/robots/ The address and portfor the robot

    On your computer

    Paste it into Terminal

    Open Terminal on your computer, paste the command and press Return. When the model is ready, find the section titled Robot or app, below the QR code. It gives two highlighted values: Address and Port.

    The first time, the terminal asks Ok to proceed? (y): press Return. The first start also downloads the model. Keep this window open while you talk; CtrlC stops it.

  3. Reachy Mini Connection HUGGING FACE CONNECTIONHOST/IPPORT Local192.168.1.202682 Connects directly to the host and port below. Save connection ↑ From Robot or app in Terminal

    In your robot’s app, here Reachy Mini’s

    Enter the address and port

    Tell the robot’s app where your computer is: type the Address and the Port from the terminal’s Robot or app section into its settings. They are two short numbers, not a link.

    On Reachy Mini: start the conversation app, open its page and select the gear at the top right. Under Connection, set Hugging Face connection to Local, type the address into Host/IP and the port into Port, then select Save connection.

    Not the address box in Reachy Mini Control’s “Connect to Reachy” window: that one takes the robot’s own address. The labels come from the conversation app 1.2.0.

  4. Terminal ?A robot or program at 192.168.1.31 asks to talk without the key.Let it in? [y/N]✓192.168.1.31 can talk without the key from now on.●A robot or program connected. y Press this key

    On your computer

    Press y, then talk

    Back in Terminal, Boubou asks before it lets a new robot in. Press y. Then talk to the robot: it answers with the voice you started.

    The robot retries every few seconds, so there is no rush. Boubou remembers it and does not ask again.

On another robot or app

Settings with an address and a port, like Reachy Mini’s: enter the Address and the Port from the Robot or app section, as in step 3. Boubou asks once in Terminal.

Settings with one full address: paste the long address at the end of the Robot or app section instead. It carries the key, so Boubou does not ask.

The robot speaks with the voice you start; a voice chosen in its app is ignored. WebRTC connections are not supported, and models marked Integrated do not offer the Realtime API yet.