Programs and public resources
Benny Labs Foundation advances research, invention and education for the public good. Our activities include public tools and learning resources you can use today, alongside research concepts that are still being developed.
AI cost education
Start with our original AI cost guide and interactive calculator. Learn how input and output charges add up, why retries matter and how to compare different billing units. The guide is free to read and the calculator runs on your device; neither requires an account or purchase.
Optional external comparison resource: Penny Owl
Penny Owl is a free community project of Benny Labs Foundation. It helps creators, developers, students and people exploring AI understand model prices and make more informed choices.
The website brings together model comparisons, quality-ranking explanations and checked seller offers. Its educational guides explain the differences between token pricing, image pricing, video pricing and subscription-based calculations. Reading the comparison site is free; using a third-party AI provider may involve that provider’s charges and terms.
How to participate
Visit the comparison website, choose an AI category and read the price explanations before selecting a tool. You can also read the public learning articles. Send questions or suggestions about this Foundation initiative to b@bennylabs.org.
Explore Penny Owl →Accessible reading with Voco
Voco is a free desktop text-to-speech tool for Mac and Windows. It is intended for people who prefer listening, want another way to work through written material, or want to hear selected text while doing something else.
Users select text in supported desktop applications and start playback. On-device voices generate speech on the user’s computer. Optional cloud voices send the chosen reading to the speech provider; the Voco website explains this distinction and its privacy practices.
How to participate
Read the features, system requirements and privacy information on Voco’s website, then use its public download instructions. No workshop attendance is required to use the tool. Contact b@bennylabs.org with Foundation-related questions.
Explore Voco →Learning through invention
Our free invention evaluation guide explains how to define a problem, separate assumptions from evidence, plan a safe small test and compare results. It includes a practical sequence readers can use before exploring the concepts below.
Our project explanations give students, independent inventors, engineers and curious readers a way to explore design problems and proposed solutions. They describe the operating ideas, components and development questions behind an invention.
- Transactional Traffic explores voluntary coordination and verified vehicle maneuvers.
- Worm Cargo explores transferring and routing packages across connected cargo vehicles.
- Living Nails explores separating wearable nail displays from electronics housed in jewelry.
These are patent-pending research concepts. Public illustrations explain proposed designs; they do not establish that a finished product has been built or tested. The pages are openly readable and are not an enrollment offer or a promise of a research award.
How to participate
Read a project explanation and send a specific technical question or collaboration proposal to b@bennylabs.org. Explain which project interests you and what you would like to investigate.
Projects under development
Newhab investigates a wearable device intended to provide adjustable resistance for rehabilitation. It is in development, is not FDA-cleared and is not available for sale. Proposed treatment benefits are not established clinical outcomes.
ThermalCore explores recovering computing heat for water heating. Its public materials describe proposed designs and research questions; prototype measurements are needed to establish real-world performance.
Lion Brain is a memory service in development for supported AI tools. Its public website explains current access, privacy and usage limits. A connected assistant must actually read and save authorized material; the service does not guarantee that every chat has been captured.
These links leave BennyLabs.org. External sites describe their own project terms, commercial or investment activities, and current offerings. As of October 16, 2026, Benny Labs Foundation receives no project revenue, licensing income, commissions or referral fees from Penny Owl, Voco, Newhab, ThermalCore or Lion Brain. Our public learning guides can be used entirely on this site.
Researchers, technical specialists and organizations can inquire about collaboration at b@bennylabs.org. Project-specific inquiries do not guarantee selection, funding or product availability.
Workshops and awards
Workshops, grants and prizes are future educational aims. No scheduled workshop or open award application round is currently announced on this website. Dates, eligibility and participation instructions will be published when a program is announced.
In the meantime, the public explanations and digital resources above are available for self-directed learning. Contact the Foundation if you would like to discuss educational collaboration.
About the Foundation · Organization address and contact details