AutoSharpener started as a question: how far, and how fast, can an idea go when AI is at the center from day one?
We wanted to show that a real, working product can go from concept to delivery without a large team or a long roadmap, and that it can bring several disciplines together: hardware, electronics and software.
AI was involved at every step: shaping the idea, writing and refining the code, testing and polishing. What used to take months now takes days.
We wanted a project that’s challenging without being overly complex. It may well be useful as a practical tool, but more importantly, it’s open for anyone to explore, learn from, build, enjoy and maybe even expand.
AI did more than accelerate the project. It completed whole tasks independently, from start to finish.
The circuit, the board design and every line of firmware were created with AI. Mechanical CAD is not quite there yet: traditional CAD software is not built for AI, and the AI features it offers today speed things up only marginally.
Reading datasheets, researching components and working out the wiring went much faster, and the quality of the result was higher.
To validate the result, hold it to the expected quality and stay in control of the product, you need custom tools that check the work. AI can build those tools as well.
PCB placement and routing still take several rounds of iteration and fine-tuning. That is why we built schemachef: it guides the process and runs it fully automated. It is one of several in-house tools we develop to automate our work end to end and take full advantage of AI.
The result: a working machine, from idea to finished build, in a fraction of the usual time.
The AutoSharpener would not exist without open-source projects and the many excellent tools. Thank you to everyone who builds and maintains them.