Straight answers on building AI hardware
Each article answers one question a founder or engineering lead asks us on scoping calls, with primary sources linked.
- FCC
- Tariffs
- IP
- Data
- Process
- Compliance
- Sourcing
Can I use a pre-certified LTE module and skip FCC certification for my tracker?
What a modular grant covers, what it does not, and which FCC, PTCRB and carrier steps a custom LTE tracker still needs in 2026.
Read →Tariffs · 2026-10-15What does a DDP landed price include for electronics built in Shenzhen in 2026?
Unit price, freight, Section 301 duties, brokerage and delivery: how a delivered-duty-paid quote is built and who pays the tariff.
Read →IP · 2026-10-15Who owns the schematics, PCB files and firmware when a Shenzhen team builds my device?
How IP assignment, source-file handover and tooling ownership work under a US contract, and what to check before you sign.
Read →Data · 2026-10-15How do I build an AI recording wearable without audio passing through a China-hosted cloud?
Architecture choices, key ownership and verification steps that keep recordings from an AI recording wearable in your cloud, plus consent design.
Read →Process · 2026-10-15EVT, DVT, PVT: what does a software company actually get at each gate, and when can it walk away?
A plain-English guide to hardware gates for software teams: what is built, what you receive, and what exiting at each gate looks like.
Read →Compliance · 2026-10-15Do AI companion devices for teens and older adults need extra compliance?
Recording consent, the COPPA boundary, California companion-chatbot rules and RF exposure: what changes for companion and elder care hardware.
Read →Sourcing · 2026-10-15Shenzhen ODM vs US design firm vs US-contracted Shenzhen team: which fits a 10–1,000 unit pilot?
Cost, IP ownership, speed, minimum order quantities and certification compared for a first 10 to 1,000 unit pilot run of a connected AI device.
Read →IP · 2026-10-15What should be in the SBOM and source-file handover for a connected device?
A checklist of the electrical, mechanical, firmware and software-supply-chain files you should receive, and how to verify them.
Read →