### Open Hardware # Mixed realities **When “your” hardware lives—and dies—in the vendor’s cloud** -- ### # Mixed realities Modern IoT gear often won’t store data locally or accept direct connections. The cloud account *is* the product. That design brings two systemic risks: * Data hostage-taking * Single point of failure Note: * Data hostage-taking * Telemetry, user settings, even basic on-device functions sit behind the vendor’s login. If the account, API or certificate vanishes, owners lose historical data and live control * Single point of failure * When the provider turns the servers off (bankruptcy, acquisition, strategy shift), the device can’t boot, phone home for crypto keys, or accept commands—so otherwise-healthy hardware becomes e-waste overnight. -- ### Mixed realities ## A big graveyard * 2023 *Amazon Halo* fitness bands & bedside sleep tracker * 2024 *Google Nest* Secure home-alarm system * 2022 *Insteon smart-lighting hubs* * 2018 *Logitech Harmony Link* universal remote puck * 2016 *Revolv smart-home hub* (acquired by Google Nest) Note: * 2023 *Amazon Halo* fitness bands & bedside sleep tracker * All bands and the Halo app stopped working. * Health data deleted after deadline unless manually exported. * Amazon suggested recycling the still-working hardware. * 2024 *Google Nest* Secure home-alarm system * No arming/disarming, no phone alerts, no lock bridge. * Google offered an ADT kit or €200 voucher; data and automations vanished. * 2022 *Insteon smart-lighting hubs* * Cloud switch went dark without warning; apps & some wall keypads dead. * Users had to reverse-engineer local control or replace entire setups. * 2018 *Logitech Harmony Link* universal remote puck * Logitech email: “device will no longer function.” * Initial plan was no replacement; backlash forced the firm to swap in a newer model—proof the brick was purely a licensing choice. * 2016 *Revolv smart-home hub* (acquired by Google Nest) * $300 hub and app permanently bricked. * Case became the textbook example of a company “reaching into your home and pulling the plug.” -- ### Mixed realities ## Moxie -- ### Mixed realities ## Moxie / 2020-2025 Moxie, an expressive table-top robot marketed as a social-skills “mentor” for children. Intro price: US $1,500, later cut to $800. All speech recognition, personality data and progress tracking live on Embodied’s servers. Nov 2024 – shutdown e-mail Early 2025 – service blackout Note: * 2020 – launch * Nov 2024 – shutdown e-mail * funding round collapsed, the company will “wind down operations” and shut off the Moxie cloud “soon.” A link to a “farewell letter” helps parents explain to kids that their robot friend is “going away.” * Early 2025 – service blackout * Cloud endpoints time out; Moxie units stall on startup or report server-error codes. Amazon and other retailers pull remaining stock. -- ### Mixed realities ## Moxie / Why it failed * Total cloud dependence * No escrow / open-sourcing plan * High ongoing costs Note: * Total cloud dependence – every wake-word, behavioral script and user log resided off-device. * No escrow / open-sourcing plan – when funding vanished there was no legal path to keep servers or firmware alive. * High ongoing costs – speech-to-text, emotion analysis and safety moderation are compute-heavy; with only ~15 k units sold (est.), subscription revenue never covered the bills. -- ### Mixed realities ## Moxie / Lessons highlighted * “Smart” toys must offer local-first operation or a published contingency (open-source firmware, community server code) to avoid instant obsolescence. * Regulators are beginning to act * Consumer awereness Note: * “Smart” toys must offer local-first operation or a published contingency * (open-source firmware, community server code) to avoid instant obsolescence. * Regulators are beginning to act * forthcoming EU Ecodesign and US state “Connected Devices” rules would obligate a guaranteed service period or mandatory refunds for cloud-tethered products. Moxie shows why such safeguards matter. * Consumer awereness * Buyers should treat cloud-bound hardware like a subscription, not a durable good—unless the vendor can prove the device remains useful offline. -- ### Mixed realities ## Broader implications * Security & privacy * Cost shifting to consumers * Regulatory spotlight * Design takeaway Note: * Security & privacy * Continuous cloud dependence gives the vendor perpetual access to raw sensor streams (sleep patterns, door-open events, health scans) with no on-prem option. A shutdown can wipe user archives or expose unmaintained endpoints to attack. * Cost shifting to consumers * Owners pay twice: once for the device, again through mandatory subscriptions or forced upgrades when support ends. * Regulatory spotlight * The EU’s proposed Right-to-Repair and Product Sustainability regulations would require a “minimum service period” and clearer data-export paths; several US states already obligate notice and refunds when a cloud shutdown bricks hardware. * Design takeaway * Devices that can operate locally (local API, LAN fallback, open firmware) not only respect user autonomy but also outlive corporate pivots. * Home asistant!! -- ### Mixed realities * Open data * Open protocols * Open APIs