Using Claude to Root a Trifo Lucy Vacuum and Build a Local Network Server

A developer documented using Claude to reverse engineer a Trifo Lucy robot vacuum after the manufacturer's servers went offline. The project involved gaining root access and creating a local network server for basic control functionality.

Root Access Process

The rooting process required physical hardware modification: "the robot is stripped and I'm soldering header pins onto the circuit board." Accessing root involved "lots of precise timing to enter scripts at the exact moment during boot plus a big slice of luck that made forcing commands possible." After several days of attempts, the developer achieved root access.

Claude's Role in Development

Claude handled most of the coding work after root was achieved. The AI "secured ssh access and got to work trying to work out how to actually get control and give commands." This consumed "a week's credits" of Claude Code sessions. Basic controls were eventually implemented, but decoding the occupancy grid map (OGM) file proved challenging, requiring "the next two weeks of Claude code sessions" and exhausting the developer's $20 plan credits within about 3 days per session.

Local Network Server

The original plan was to complete full functionality before creating the server, but "the server was largely made already, so we skipped ahead." The server provides basic functionality for unrooted devices on local networks. The developer notes: "I haven't confirmed it works with non rooted devices so if anyone happens to have a Lucy (or other Trifo device, possibly) then please let me know if you get it to work!"

Collaboration System

The developer and Claude created "a groundbreaking system (it's just a folder structure) to facilitate ai collaboration." This system uses "an instance of Opus that keeps an overview of the project with planning documents of various scales" and can "create new tasks as things progress." Any instance of Claude Code can be pointed at the repository where it finds "a readme explaining the process, take one of the live tasks and then start churning away at it." Progress is then submitted for assessment by the project management Opus instance.

The system is live on the Lucy RE repository, and a blank template version is available for other projects. The developer entered the project with minimal reverse engineering knowledge and notes: "though I've absorbed quite a lot, I still don't really. But my robot works now, and so might yours!"