Your Next Desk Toy Should Be a Hackable Robot

Little robots are finding their way onto desks all around the world to keep their owners company during the workday. This trend has been picking up a lot of steam lately as people realize that even the occasional interaction with these toys can brighten up an otherwise dull day. However, many of them, like the popular Dasai Mochi robots, are pretty limited in what they can do. And since most of these devices are also proprietary, you can’t (easily) hack any new functionality into them.

Rajesh, of the Edison Science Corner YouTube channel, wants to give people searching for the perfect robot desk buddy another option. He has come up with a design that is more capable than most devices out there. Moreover, Rajesh’s build is open source, so you can not only make your own, but you can also customize it to your heart’s content.

The project, called “DeskBuddy,” is built around inexpensive and widely available parts so hobbyists aren’t locked into a specific hardware configuration. Rajesh used an ESP32-C3 Super Mini microcontroller, chosen for its small size and low price, but most other ESP32s would also work fine. A 1.3-inch OLED display acts as the robot’s “face,” showing animated expressions along with useful data. Interaction is handled through a touch sensor, and the entire device runs from a rechargeable battery connected through a charging module and physical power switch.

Unlike many novelty robots, DeskBuddy is designed to be practical as well as cute. After flashing the firmware in the Arduino IDE, users connect the robot to Wi-Fi and supply an OpenWeatherMap API key. Once configured, the robot can fetch real-time weather information and display it alongside the current time, turning it into a functional desk information terminal.

Rajesh created a two-piece enclosure in Tinkercad and printed it in white PLA, producing a compact shell that he says resembles an AirPods charging case. Of course, there is still plenty of room for modification. The existing design files can be modified, or you could create your own design from scratch.

Because all files and code are publicly available, DeskBuddy is meant to evolve. Planned upgrades include motion detection, sound output, a color display, and even a dedicated PCB to simplify assembly. Power optimization is also on the roadmap to extend battery life.

If you’d like to skip the assembly process and buy a complete DeskBuddy, you can pick one up for about $22. Kits containing all of the required components are also available for around $14.