Daehwa Kim Unveils $20 OATs Modules That Turn Objects Into AI Pets
Updated
Updated · WIRED · Nov 15
Daehwa Kim Unveils $20 OATs Modules That Turn Objects Into AI Pets
1 articles · Updated · WIRED · Nov 15
Summary
Carnegie Mellon PhD student Daehwa Kim presented OATs—Object Agent Twins—at a UI symposium in Detroit, pairing tiny E Ink displays with household items so sensor-driven avatars react like needy virtual pets.
About $20 hardware and a web setup let users attach sensors for moisture, light, motion, temperature or sound, while Google Gemini-generated sprites show positive or negative emotions tied to each object's state.
Battery life remains the main constraint: OATs last three to four days in typical use, but only about one day when paired with a sound sensor, leaving the project closer to a proof of concept than a product.
Early users tested OATs on plants, skateboards, coffee machines, 3D printers and dumbbells, using them to encourage habits, signal nearby risks and track whether objects were being used.
The demo also sparked debate over anthropomorphizing AI; Kim said OATs keep interactions limited to simple emotions because human-like framing can help behavior change but also encourage overtrust.