One Giant Leap for Chatbot-kind

With the ChatGPT moment now more than three years in the rearview mirror, enthusiasts have had plenty of time to build large language model (LLM)-based chatbots into DIY devices of all sorts. In most cases, these devices don’t have much style. They tend to be either bare circuit boards and a mess of wires, or if it is one of the fancier builds, it may have a moderately good-looking 3D-printed case. But who really wants to display something like this in their home?

Not many people, which makes a recent project by YouTuber D. Creative pretty exciting. D. Creative made a tiny AI robot chatbot that you can interact with using your voice. All of the components fit neatly inside a toy astronaut, which is fun and would look nice on a desk or end table in your home.

D. Creative started by disassembling a small, light-up astronaut toy and gutting the internal electronics. Next, an ESP32-S3 Super Mini development board was installed inside for general computing tasks and wireless connectivity. An INMP441 I2S microphone was included to capture the user’s voice requests, and a MAX98357 audio amplifier and speaker were installed to audibly respond to those requests. There is also a 300mAh battery and charging module to supply power. A 0.96-inch OLED display module was neatly inserted inside the astronaut’s helmet.

After drilling a few holes for buttons and a USB port, the case was closed back up to hide all of the internal components. Next, D. Creative installed firmware that was developed to power a chatbot using this exact type of hardware. Using the ESP32’s wireless connection, it communicates with a remote Qwen3 LLM. When the response is received, the robot plays it over the speaker.

There is nothing revolutionary about the capabilities of this voice chatbot—many like it have been built. But it is easily one of the cutest you will find anywhere, so if you are still looking for the perfect AI chatbot for your own home, be sure to check out the video below to learn how you can make your own.