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This AI Tamagotchi Turns Everyday Objects Into Needy Virtual Pets
Daehwa Kim, a Carnegie Mellon PhD student, has created OATs: small AI avatars on E Ink screens that attach to household objects and react to sensor readings. Inspired by Tamagotchi pets, they aim to encourage people to care for or use everyday items while bringing AI interactions beyond phone screens.
Sensors can track conditions such as moisture, temperature, light, occupancy and movement, with users setting behaviours through a web portal. The main module costs about $20, but battery life is only three to four days, or one day with a sound sensor, making OATs a proof of concept. Kim’s trials found people used them to show when objects were in use, warn nearby people, or track their own habits.
In short
- OATs give everyday objects expressive AI avatars.
- Sensors trigger reactions tailored to each object.
- Battery life limits the project to a proof of concept.
Explained simply
Tamagotchi are handheld virtual pets that need regular attention, a format that became popular in the 1990s. OATs borrow that idea but connect digital characters to physical objects, using sensors to respond to changes in their surroundings.
The project was created by Daehwa Kim, a PhD student at Carnegie Mellon University. People can set how an avatar responds to readings such as moisture, temperature, light or movement, and attach its small screen to an everyday item.
The idea is to make interactions with AI part of people’s surroundings rather than keeping them on a phone. In trials, people used OATs to indicate when an object was in use, alert others nearby or monitor their own habits.