On Nov. 3, 2026, OpenAI said GPT-6 and Astra helped design a handheld test device for talking with Codex in less than a week. Two team members worked on the design as a side project. A contract manufacturer made a small prototype batch in under a month, while preparing the design for production required engineering reviews and revisions.
A handheld interface for Codex
OpenAI described the device as a way to talk with Codex. In the company’s video, researcher Justin Lin demonstrates a handheld unit with a display and push-to-talk button querying active Codex agents. The footage also moves through circuit-board layouts, factory-made boards and different shell versions.
What OpenAI says GPT-6 and Astra contributed
OpenAI says GPT-6 set the functional requirements. The company credits Astra with work spanning the device’s appearance, enclosure and internal structures, electrical components, user interface, firmware and software integrations. OpenAI framed the experiment as a test of whether models could create the device without people directly modifying model-produced designs.
For background on the model beyond this hardware project, see NeoTeo’s earlier coverage of GPT-6 Astra’s agent capabilities. This experiment focused on putting a Codex interface into a physical device.
Why manufacturing still needed engineering work
OpenAI says preparing the design for manufacture took several rounds of review and iteration. Astra did not always account for manufacturing constraints, tolerances or assembly details, so engineers had to revise the design. Those practical requirements sit between a model-produced design and a prototype a contractor can build.
A design still has to fit the realities of manufacturing: tolerances, constraints and assembly.
OpenAI says a contract manufacturer produced a small batch of prototypes in under a month.
