Commonbound
London, UK
Duncan Gough
Not available right now
Isolated communities. I've been building small passive, ambient, digital, furniture pieces for your haus, and now I'm focussed on building a new community with a focus on sustainability.
Current project
Building commonbound
On behalf of Commonbound
Make sense of the future of work and connect people who are motivated by real impact.
Looking for help with private funding, public subsidy, sales, and media coverage
The thread through my work
Ambient, passive, ideas
Skills in practice
Innovation and entrepreneurship
Multiple · 2010-2026+
Founder of multiple startups, communities, and projects.
Read more →Side projects
Ara
An experiment in passive AI and robotic companionship.
More about Ara
An experiment in passive AI and robotic companionship.
My role: Creator and designer
I designed and sold a limited run of Ara companions to explore this question.
Ara appeared in Creative Review, exhibited at Derby QUAD, and led to talks at Site Gallery and the Festival of Marketing.
Photo: Ara, a small bird companion, pictured in Creative Review.
Its purpose
What might companionship with AI feel like at home?
Maylo
An experiment in passive digital companionship.
More about Maylo
An experiment in passive digital companionship.
My role: Creator and developer
I used PyTorch, AudioSet and Google's Quick, Draw! dataset to recognise environmental sounds and turn them into drawings.
Maylo documented each day in a digital sketchbook.
Photo: Maylo beside a framed screen showing a drawing.
Its purpose
Could an AI companion keep a record of daily life through background sounds?
Glyphe
A low-power, low-distraction experiment in ambient technology.
More about Glyphe
A low-power, low-distraction experiment in ambient technology.
My role: Creator and designer
I combined a Raspberry Pi and e-ink screen with icons by Alice Noir.
Glyphe displays a daily selection of symbols, like a horoscope open to interpretation.
Photo: Glyphe displaying four symbols in a freestanding frame.
Its purpose
How could a digital object encourage a slower, reflective daily routine?
Radio Robot
An experiment in automated radio programming.
More about Radio Robot
An experiment in automated radio programming.
My role: Creator and developer
I used text-to-speech and APIs, letting the robots choose their programming within a few rules.
Radio Robot ran its own programming schedule.
Photo: Radio Robot's website with an audio programme ready to play.
Its purpose
I wanted an always-on radio station for passive listening.
Sustainable development goals
Problems I want to work on next
Selected UN targets. Open a goal to read the targets in full.
Decent work and economic growth · 2 targets
- 8.3 Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services.
- 8.6 By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training.