What if your kid asked for a robot — and instead of buying one, you built it together with Elixir, Nerves, and a little help from AI?
That question kicked off the MoodBot project: a Raspberry Pi–powered robot that talks using text-to-speech, shows moods on a display, and is designed to evolve — from simple GenServers to generative AI.
This isn’t just about the features, though — it’s also about the process: using AI tools to explore unknown hardware, debug faster, and extend the system as new ideas emerge. MoodBot is part robot, part learning platform, and part family project.
In this talk, I’ll share:
- How I’m approaching MoodBot with Elixir/Nerves, speech, and e-ink
- How AI is helping me iterate, learn, and prototype in unknown territory
- How this project blends family, fun, and fast feedback loops
- Why the BEAM is ideal for AI-assisted tinkering at the edge
Key Takeaways:
- How to start a real-world Nerves project, even with little hardware experience
- Practical ways to integrate AI (like TTS and LLMs) into embedded Elixir applications
- How AI tools can assist in debugging, prototyping, and hardware integration workflows
- Why Elixir and the BEAM are a great fit for playful, resilient, and extensible robotics
- Inspiration to combine family, learning, and tech in creative ways
Target Audience:
- Elixir developers curious about combining hardware and AI in a playful way.