FROM CODE TO THE PHYSICAL WORLD
A synth with new sounds. A TV without the clutter. A pocket device that takes your voice notes. Explore real builds made with coding agents.
58 projects
Source-reviewed · not hands-on tested
Printing & tools Computer companion
Wake up to a paper briefing with the weather, today’s tasks, code reviews and a workout, printed automatically each morning.
HARDWAREReceipt-style printer — exact model unconfirmed
Robots & toys Device firmware
A pendant with a Tamagotchi-like pet, conversation history, voice replies, watch face and phone-camera remote shutter.
HARDWAREWaveshare ESP32-S3 Touch AMOLED 1.75C
Displays Multi-device setup
Receives aircraft broadcasts and projects live aircraft, stars, Moon and satellite positions overhead.
HARDWARERTL-SDR receiver + Raspberry Pi or similar computer + projector
Voice & audio Computer companion
One-click and scheduled profiles for volume, EQ and subwoofer settings instead of repeatedly opening the stock app.
HARDWARESonos Arc
Voice & audio Unofficial firmware
Adds six-track USB audio, a sampler and additional synthesis options to an existing groovebox.
HARDWAREElektron Model:Cycles
Voice & audio Unofficial firmware
909 and 808 drums, dual acid basslines, breakbeat playback and song sequencing on the original device.
HARDWAREM-VAVE FM-1
Voice & audio Unofficial firmware
Alternative sound engines, presets and a browser editor for a low-cost hardware synth.
HARDWAREM-VAVE FM-1
Voice & audio Unofficial firmware
Runs NAM A2 Lite captures and custom impulse responses, turning an old multieffects pedal into an amp modeler.
HARDWAREZoom MS-70CDR
Cameras & sensors Unofficial firmware
Reconstructs the meter application and bootloader as editable C, then tests it on the meter including Bluetooth.
HARDWAREEEVblog 121GW
Printing & tools Computer companion
Print from ordinary macOS applications through a custom bridge around the vendor Linux codec.
HARDWAREHP Laser 1008a
Cameras & sensors Computer companion
Custom Linux scanner backend plus Negative Vibes app, including infrared dust removal and nondestructive image adjustments.
HARDWAREPlustek OpticFilm 8200i with Genesys GL128
Cameras & sensors Computer companion
Custom kernel and camera-processing fixes improve low-light brightness, vignetting and white balance.
HARDWARELenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition; Sony IMX471 / Intel IPU7
Cameras & sensors Kit / assembly
Touchscreen Snake with a live light-level bar and physical LED feedback.
HARDWAREESP-Mosaico CoreBoard + Interaction module
Displays Device firmware
A small physical clock showing live weather, keeping local time when connectivity fails.
HARDWAREWio Terminal
Displays Device firmware
BLE desk dashboard for Claude/Codex usage and estimated daily API cost from a signed-in computer.
HARDWAREWio Terminal
Displays Kit / assembly
Animated eye for a backpack, chest accessory or keychain.
HARDWAREXIAO ESP32S3 + 1.28-inch Round Display for XIAO
Robots & toys Kit / assembly
A physical swipe-controlled number-merging game with game-state and rendering logic.
HARDWAREXIAO ESP32S3 + round touch display
Robots & toys Kit / assembly
One knob coordinates animated petals on an OLED with a real fan and LED.
HARDWAREGrove Beginner Kit for Arduino + Mini Fan
Cameras & sensors Kit / assembly
OLED weather readings, trend arrows, comfort labels and configurable light/buzzer alerts.
HARDWAREGrove Beginner Kit for Arduino
Lights Computer companion
GNOME quick controls and a configuration interface restoring lighting features missing on Linux.
HARDWAREElgato Key Light Wi-Fi lamp
Cameras & sensors Computer companion
Native camera settings app using PipeWire, with controls recovered from the Windows utility.
HARDWAREDell UltraSharp Webcam 4K UHD WB7022
Displays Device software
Gathin T. replaced the stock launcher with a custom Apple-TV-like home screen and disabled 25 unwanted packages.
HARDWAREXiaomi Android TV; exact model not disclosed
Displays Device software
Mihir Gupta replaced a 192 MB stock launcher with a custom 83 MB launcher and rotating wallpapers, alongside removing bloatware.
HARDWAREAndroid TV; manufacturer and model not disclosed
Displays Device software
Ryan Doyle's TV screensaver shows business revenue and new Stripe payments.
HARDWARESmart TV; exact model not disclosed
Buttons & controls Computer companion
Casey Capshaw mapped session launch, resume, model switching, cost checks and other coding commands onto physical keys, with three terminal variants.
HARDWAREElgato Stream Deck with 15 LCD buttons; revision not specified
Robots & toys Supervised experiment
Custom laptop video controller, sensor access and software that locates a beach ball, approaches it and moves it; a natural-language controller was also demonstrated.
HARDWAREUnitree Go2 quadruped robot
Printing & tools Computer companion
A self-hosted alternative to cloud printer management with local print queues, camera monitoring, Spoolman filament tracking and Telegram notifications.
HARDWAREBambu Lab P2S in the review; other model support not checked
Cameras & sensors Sensor workflow
Wes Bos captures room measurements, photos and depth, then builds an editable Three.js office recreation with physics and browser exploration.
HARDWARELiDAR-equipped iPhone Pro or iPad Pro; iOS/iPadOS 17+
Lights Multi-device setup
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy built a useful home dashboard, a working mixed-brand office-light toggle, timed fan shutoff, AC-linked shades and solar-production alerts.
HARDWAREHome Assistant Yellow; Minka-Aire fan via Bond Bridge; Nanoleaf Blocks; Lifx Luna; Philips Hue bulbs; Elgato Key Light; Leviton switch
Voice & audio Device firmware
Leon Furze reprogrammed the Cardputer's keyboard, microphone, speaker and display into a push-to-talk assistant, English/French translator, voice notebook and terminal. The Mac mini handles transcription and responses.
HARDWAREM5Stack Cardputer ADV + Mac mini
Displays Device firmware
Ryan's 4-inch touchscreen continuously displays internet availability, device IP and MAC address through a custom animated interface programmed onto the physical display.
HARDWAREGuition ESP32-S3–4848S040 in its silver plastic case
Cameras & sensors Specialist tools
Reads real CAN-bus traffic, aligns it with dashboard video or human-moved gauges, and produces usable signal definitions and live visualizations. Demonstrated vehicle speed decoding and physical gauge-position decoding.
HARDWARECSS Electronics CANsub.2; OBD2-DB9 cable; Opel Astra in live vehicle example; optional CANmod.input and potentiometer board
Displays Computer companion
Reuses the finished pixel display's custom clock faces for animated working, waiting-for-feedback and idle states, switched by coding-session hooks over Bluetooth.
HARDWAREDivoom MiniToo, firmware 2.4.0, 160×128 display; macOS host
Printing & tools Computer companion
A custom Swift network-print utility sends physical packing slips and shipping labels from computers to printers at either warehouse in one click.
HARDWARE4×6 thermal shipping-label printers at TRMNL warehouses; exact printer models not disclosed
Cameras & sensors Multi-device setup
Carry a dedicated touchscreen for GPS navigation, LoRa messages, radio utilities and vehicle diagnostics without relying on cloud services.
HARDWAREM5Stack Tab5 (ESP32-P4 + ESP32-C6), Tab5 Keyboard, GPS and LoRa modules
Buttons & controls Device firmware
Mirror an Android screen, use touch controls, transfer files and inspect logs from a handheld console instead of a PC.
HARDWAREM5Stack Tab5 IoT Development Kit (ESP32-P4); Android device
Robots & toys Supervised experiment
Turn an e-paper touchscreen into a Game Boy handheld, with an experimental Claude-written compiler aimed at faster emulation.
HARDWAREM5PaperS3; microSD card
Displays Unofficial firmware
A jailbroken Kindle displays aggregated coding-tool usage, waking periodically to refresh.
HARDWARECompatible Kindle; exact generation not specified
Voice & audio Device firmware
A bedside touchscreen records dreams and displays four generated illustrations.
HARDWAREM5Stack CoreS3 SE (K128-SE)
Robots & toys Kit / assembly
A physical pet reacts with pixel animations as its owner speaks.
HARDWARELonely Binary ESP32-S3 N16R8; Waveshare 1.5-inch OLED
Cameras & sensors Device firmware
A hot-shoe screen provides camera live view and a wireless shutter.
HARDWAREM5Stack StickS3; RICOH GR II, III/IIIx or IV
Displays Multi-device setup
A Raspberry Pi streams animated cat entertainment and controls a projector wirelessly.
HARDWARERaspberry Pi; Samsung Freestyle projector
Voice & audio Kit / assembly
A custom voice pendant displays replies and agent progress over Bluetooth.
HARDWAREnRF52840; 1.47-inch display; PDM microphone; 800 mAh Li-Po
Cameras & sensors Sensor workflow
A weightlifting sensor reports each rep’s velocity through a custom Bluetooth bridge.
HARDWAREADR Encoder
Voice & audio Computer companion
A repurposed speakerphone becomes a voice character with confirmed, persistent memories.
HARDWARERDA5856ETE Bluetooth audio SoC / S10B-S_V4.0R6D board; Android phone
Buttons & controls Kit / assembly
A browser-configured controller reads industrial sensors and operates relays and Modbus devices.
HARDWARERaspberryPi CM4; StamPLC
Buttons & controls Kit / assembly
Temperature readings and LINE commands open and close greenhouse ventilation curtains.
HARDWAREESP32; BTS7960; two 24V DC roll-up motors; SwitchBot thermometer
Robots & toys Multi-device setup
A camera tracks physical markers on a projected football pitch.
HARDWAREWindows 11 PC; projector; 1080p webcam; matte board
Voice & audio Kit / assembly
A compact DJ instrument combines a motorized platter with a screen and physical controls.
HARDWARERaspberry Pi 5, 2GB; Waveshare 3.5-inch RPi LCD (F); SparkFun ROB-22132
Cameras & sensors Supervised experiment
Doom and experimental camera extensions run on an original Hasselblad X2D.
HARDWAREHasselblad X2D 100C, firmware 4.2.0
Displays Kit / assembly
An e-paper frame receives photos remotely and sleeps between updates.
HARDWAREWaveshare 3.6-inch six-colour e-paper; Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32S3 Sense
Buttons & controls Device firmware
Use a small ESP32-S3 board to connect an iPhone's screen and controls to a supervised AI agent.
HARDWARESeeed Studio XIAO ESP32-S3; iPhone
Robots & toys Kit / assembly
A wheeled robot combines a camera, voice, expressive face and sensors.
HARDWARERaspberry Pi Zero 2 W; ST7789 display; IMX219 camera; N20 motors
Cameras & sensors Unofficial firmware
Custom scripts replace a camera’s shutdown image with a personal picture.
HARDWARERicoh GR IV, demonstrated firmware 1.11
Voice & audio Kit / assembly
Touch pads activate a voice conversation while a light ring reflects conversation state.
HARDWARERaspberry Pi 5; Arduino Uno; capacitive touch sensors WS2; WS2812B ring
Robots & toys Device firmware
A standalone badge reacts to tilt, shaking, touch and button presses.
HARDWAREM5Stack StopWatch Dev Kit with ESP32-S3
Buttons & controls Sensor workflow
A Pi sends infrared AC commands and uses a camera to check flap position.
HARDWARERaspberry Pi 5 (4GB); IR transmitter; Logitech BRIO 100
Robots & toys Computer companion
Camera-tracked hands control a puppet while voice changes its stage and props.
HARDWAREWebcam and microphone; browser computer
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