2026-W43 ·
AI builds this week #2
Five AI + hardware builds ranked by the builders' own engagement (best post plus GitHub stars), fetched Oct 20, 2026. This week, people pointed AI coding agents at the gadgets already in their homes: a TV, a Kindle, a photo frame and an ESP32 robot.
1. CleanYourTV
A coding agent uses the TV's debug bridge over Wi-Fi to back up, disable ad and tracking apps (nothing uninstalled) and install a 390 KB Apple TV-style launcher.
By Gathin · Original post
2. Kindle + Claude Code
Claude Code followed community Kindle-modding docs over USB to jailbreak a Paperwhite (12th gen), remove Amazon bloat, add Tailscale and sync articles and books from a home server.
By Adrian · Original post
3. ESP32 phone butler
An M5Stack StackChan (ESP32) plugged into an iPhone taps and types like a mouse and keyboard while a cloud AI model plans each step in WeChat and Meituan.
By JosephZhou · Original post
4. Planify photo-frame family dashboard
$89.74 (converted from builder's stated cost, source)
A rooted 10.1-inch XORO frame runs a native Android kiosk app: clock, weather, family events, routines, tasks and a night clock. The repo is a guide written for coding agents.
By Lito · Original post
5. No-code XiaoZhi desk robot
$22.11 (converted from builder's stated cost, source)
Claude Code backs up and flashes XiaoZhi voice firmware, then sets up Wi-Fi, a Qwen or DeepSeek brain, MCP tools on the PC and a custom 'Hello Claude' wake word.
By 小墨同学 · Original post