NORTHSTAR is an independent research practice building experimental tools across automated-behavior detection, private wearable computing, and local-first intelligence.
We build the uncomfortable version first.
Most systems are designed to be trusted. We design to find out where trust breaks — then build the alternative. Our work runs locally, retains nothing it doesn't need, and assumes an adversary is already inside the room.
LOCAL BY DEFAULT
Processing stays on-device. Data leaves only when there is no other way, and only with intent.
ADVERSARIAL FIRST
Every system is designed against a motivated attacker before it is designed for a user.
LEGIBLE SYSTEMS
If it cannot be explained, it cannot be audited. We favor mechanisms we can reason about.
Blackbird
Seeing the machine behind the mouse.
A research-oriented detection system exploring automated browsing environments and the visual and temporal traces they leave behind. Blackbird studies how synthetic sessions diverge from human ones — in rendering artifacts, timing distributions, and interaction rhythm — to identify non-human activity without fingerprinting the person on the other end.
NullSight
Wearables that don't watch back.
A privacy-first wearable computing concept built on local processing and selective sensing. Rather than streaming a continuous view of the world to remote infrastructure, NullSight senses only on intent, computes on-device, and discards by default — an alternative architecture to always-on AR surveillance.
ALICE
An agent that never leaves the building.
A locally hosted, highly private intelligent agent engineered to run efficiently on modest consumer hardware. ALICE explores how far capable reasoning, memory, and tool use can be pushed without a datacenter — keeping every prompt, document, and trace on machines you physically control.
Technology should extend human capability, not replace human judgment, and never at the cost of human dignity.
Clear eyed.
We believe in understanding the world without needing to own it. Our systems observe only what is necessary, process only what is relevant, and forget what is not.
Local by design.
The cloud is convenient. Ownership is essential. We prioritize on-device intelligence, offline functionality, and minimal dependency. Your data should answer to you, not to a data center.
Practical, not paternalistic.
We do not sell a magic wand. We sell a sharper lens. Our work helps you see more clearly, act more deliberately, and stay in control of the systems that shape your day.
Open to scrutiny.
Transparency is not a feature. It is a baseline. Our architectures are explainable, our datasets are defendable, and our outcomes are auditable. We welcome questions, criticism, and competition.
Unfashionably private.
Privacy is not a luxury good. It is a precondition for trust. We design for minimal data collection, ephemeral processing, and user-configurable boundaries. The best data is the data that never leaves your hands.
We exist at the intersection of what is possible and what is responsible. If that sounds like a compromise, we are not doing it right.
Working on something adjacent?
We collaborate with researchers, security teams, and independent builders. Tell us what you're working on.
hello@northstar.research