Hardware · build

A tiny sci-fi robot companion you can program yourself

Pixel Neon Lab's TikTok teaser shows a small robot that looks like a sci-fi movie prop. The post is light on details, but the pitch is a programmable AI companion.

Can I build this?Intermediate · AI 4/5 · $50–150

Difficulty: Intermediate
AI-buildability: 4/5
Time: A few weeks
Cost: $50–150

Tools

soldering iron3D printer

Starter prompt

Based on "A tiny sci-fi robot companion you can program yourself" on Afterware: https://afterware.xyz/p/a-tiny-sci-fi-robot-companion-you-can-program-yourself

Write MicroPython firmware for an ESP32-S3 board with a small round LCD and a touch pad. Show an animated face that changes expression when the touch pad is pressed. Add a serial command interface so a host script can send new expressions and speech text. Keep the loop non-blocking.

Estimates based on the original write-up. How AI-buildability is scored. Building with an AI assistant? Connect it to Afterware (free MCP server).

Story

Pixel Neon Lab posted a short TikTok of a tiny robot that, in their words, looks like a character from a sci-fi movie. They describe it as a programmable AI companion that owners can customize however they want.

The video itself shows no build steps, parts list or code, and the caption just says "link in bio." Without the linked page, there's no way to tell what's inside or how it works.

If you want to chase the look, start with the form factor and a small display or camera for expression, then build the personality layer in software on top of it.

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