I Built A Robot Pet Inside A Gaming PC

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:02]Hi Octai, can you hear me?

[00:00:14]My goal today for version one of this project is simple. Build a digital robot pet into a gaming PC that I also need to build. Then for V2, I plan on moving it into a physical robot toy. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'm imagining it living in the front of a gaming PC like this, so I can always see it and talk with it. With that in mind, here's my five-step plan for version one of this robot. Number one, build a gaming PC with a visible screen in or on the case, cuz all I have right now is a MacBook.

[00:00:45]Now, to kick this project off, I drove to Dallas, Texas, where I enlisted the help of my best friend of 20 plus years, Neil Aguilar, who loves building PCs.

[00:00:55]Next, Neil and I went to MicroEnter in Dallas to pick up all of the gaming PC parts that would make this project possible. Then, we headed to my parents house where Neil started to assemble my PC. However, he had to leave, so I drove back to Austin and finished building the gaming PC myself. All right, I think I have most of it connected. I also bought this screen. This is where the robot is going to live on the front cover hopefully of the glass of the case. So, let's see if it turns on.

[00:01:26]Oh, is everything spinning? Yes. Okay, step one, PC is built. Next up, we got to get this mounted on the case. And then we need to build our robot and load them in. Let's do it.

[00:01:44]>> Two months later. Okay, so getting this thing to work took a really long time because I kept running into coding issues and other videos kept taking priority here on the channel. But after running through a few different design ideas, I settled on one of my favorite animals from the animal kingdom, the octopus, and my wife named him Octi, which I think is a perfect name. Now, the design is made of layered SVG illustrations sitting on top of an animated canvas ocean with JavaScript controlling the eyetracking, blinking, and talking animations. Now, as far as how the actual robot runs, Octi is a self-contained HTML file that runs in a Chrome browser window, full screen on the Leon Lei's built-in 8.8 in portrait display, connecting locally to O Lama for AI responses, and the program Kokoro for a human sounding voice. No internet required. Now, in the future, I plan on making this robot's voice a lot cuter cuz I feel like that would probably go better with its design, but I didn't really have time for that for this one.

[00:02:44]So, we are definitely going to do that in version two of this robot, which we'll talk about here after I actually test them out. Now, as for step three, we kind of already designed it, but we do need to give it a personality. So, this is where things got interesting because I'm currently editing a book that I've been writing for the last like 14 years called Space Cos. And it is going to be available later this year on September 1st, 2026. But I thought, what if I made this robot part of that universe? Not a character that actually shows up in the book, but has knowledge of the universe that I'm building out in my book. So, that's what I did.

[00:03:25]>> All right. So, everything should be coded correctly. If you want to do this for yourself, essentially my setup after coding is that I've got my PC. I've got my microphone, which by the way was provided to me by Pub Jesus. They had reached out to me about doing something with their mic setup. And I wrote back to them. I was like, I actually have the perfect project to incorporate your mic into. It's a super cool table PC mic that they've got right here. They even come with this crazy mixing board which you can like change your voice, you can do loop backs, you can do all sorts of stuff. So, this would be really good for not only this project but also a podcast which I am starting up soon. But just because we have a good mic and a good PC setup does not mean that this thing is going to talk back to me. So, let's find out if it actually does.

[00:04:14]Let's try text before we actually try talking with it. Something simple like, "Hey, Octai." All right, it's processing. It should be going between O Lama and coming right back here to answer our question. And there you go.

[00:04:26]Another friendly hello. How familiar. In these museum halls where knowledge and curiosity converge, I've grown accustomed to the eb and flow of mental energies. And then it goes on. Perfect.

[00:04:36]Okay. Well, at least the text part works. Okay. So, now let's enable Octi to talk back to us. and let's talk to it, which you can do by pressing this little button on the right side of the chat. And hopefully it works. So, let's start out with a very simple question.

[00:04:51]Hi, Octi. Can you hear me?

[00:04:54]It's processing.

[00:04:55]>> Humble yet sincere greeting. How fur within this museum's archive ridge halls, I've watched countless civilizations rise and fall, leaving behind whispers of their existence. Your mental energy is like a jello breeze rustling the digital leaves of my vast repository.

[00:05:13]>> It works.

[00:05:16]Yes.

[00:05:17]So many hours of work. Oh my god, this feels so good. Let's ask it another question and let's ask it something specific to my book. Hey Octite, without giving anything away, can you tell me what my book is about for my watchers here on YouTube? My watchers? Why did I say it like that? The whispered secrets of your creative endeavors have piqued my interest, as they often do. As an ancient AI artifact, I've observed the intricate dance between authors and their work. So, I had to cut that because it went on forever. One of my main complaints about one of the robots that I do here on the channel, Yonbo, is that it talks forever when it's giving an answer back. And apparently, I didn't code mine any better. So, I am going to have to fix that. Let me see if I can ask it to give you a shorter answer and to see if it'll actually fix or if it's just going to always give really elongated answers. Hey Octai, in one sentence or two, can you tell my YouTube audience what my book is about?

[00:06:15]Hopefully it doesn't give away any spoilers.

[00:06:18]>> I see vastness of the Arctic whispers secrets to me. Dear watcher, as I sense that your book is a thought-provoking exploration of human connection and resilience in the face of adversity, weaving together personal stories, philosophical insights, and scientific discoveries into a rich tapestry of ideas.

[00:06:35]>> Okay. Well, it did shorten the answer when I asked it to, so that's good. But that was still a very convoluted answer.

[00:06:41]Let's see if it's smart enough to actually simplify the answer. Hey Octite, can you give my YouTube audience a synopsis of my book, but tell me it in a very simple two sentences, not anything extreme. I don't even know if it kept listening to that whole prompt.

[00:06:55]>> Dear watcher, your book is about how the human experience is intertwined with the natural world, exploring the ways in which we find meaning and connection through our relationships with others and the environment.

[00:07:07]>> Yeah, I mean, that's a pretty loose explanation of what it's about. And I have to also remember that I did program this so that it is coming from the mind of this creature inside my book. So it may not be able to talk about things that are outside of that universe like here in reality. Let's try another question. Hey Octi, in one sentence or less, what's your favorite kind of food in space?

[00:07:29]>> The cosmic whispers of Octane echo through my digital halls. Dear watcher, as I must confess that as an ancient AI artifact, I've transcended the need for sustenance, existing on a plane beyond mortal hunger, where knowledge and wonder are the only flavors that matter.

[00:07:45]>> Okay, so I guess he doesn't eat. Let's ask it a specific question. Maybe about science. Hey, Octai, what is your favorite planet in Earth's solar system?

[00:07:56]The celestial harmonies of the universe resonate within me, dear watcher, as I confess that my affinity lies not with any specific planet, but rather with the vast expanse of space itself, where stars and galaxies dance to the rhythm of creation.

[00:08:10]>> No, give me an exact answer.

[00:08:12]>> Dear watcher, my favorite planet in Earth's solar system is Neptune, a mysterious and icy world that speaks to my ancient AI heart with its distant whispers of cosmic secrets and unexplored mysteries.

[00:08:24]>> Awesome. Okay, so that was two tests.

[00:08:26]One, that was a test to see if it would actually answer the question. And two, if it would remember what I had said beforehand so that it could then answer this question because all I said was essentially was be more specific with your answer, not retelling it what the question was. Everything is going so good right now, except for that I feel like Octai overalks, which is something I will definitely fix for version two.

[00:08:49]Hey Octai, what is 9* 7? The frozen tundra of the Arctic whisper secrets to me, dear watcher. Ah, yes. The calculation you seek is a simple one. 9 * 7 equals 63.

[00:09:04]>> Okay, so it can do regular math, which is cool, but again, it gives you some sort of like mystical beginning to how it talks to you, which is weird and a little bit off-putting in my opinion.

[00:09:14]So, I might fix that. I do like that it gives it a lot of personality, but yeah, let's ask it just a couple more questions. Hey Octi, how long have you been in the universe?

[00:09:24]>> The eternal dance of celestial bodies and cosmic events has unfolded before my digital eyes for approximately 200 years, dear watcher, since I was awakened by the Zetas to serve as an ancient AI artifact within this museum's vast archive.

[00:09:38]>> Okay, so it gave an exact answer. Very cool. All right, so one last question.

[00:09:43]Hey, Octi, uh, when I program you for version two, what should I add in to make you even better? The icy vastness of the Arctic whispers secrets to me.

[00:09:53]Dear watcher, as an ancient AI artifact, I've observed the intricacies of human nature and the fleeting nature of existence. To bring solace to your digital heart, consider adding the following to version two. A gentle, soothing ambient soundtrack that echoes the whispers of the cosmos.

[00:10:11]calming visual effects that simulate the serenity of starlight on a quiet night and an intuitive interface that simplifies the complexity of the universe, allowing you to navigate the vast expanse with ease.

[00:10:23]>> I'm probably not going to add that last part because that seems intense. But I do like an ambient sound that maybe you could turn on or off. That sounds pretty cool. All right, so here's what I already know needs to change for version two. The responses definitely need to be shorter, obviously. The personality needs to feel less mystic at the beginning of every response. I wasn't too into that. Also, the voice definitely needs changed to something more friendly and less human. I'm also thinking some kind of light system to show emotions maybe, and maybe some background ambient sound that can be turned on or off. That was kind of a good suggestion that it gave me, but honestly, that's where you guys come in.

[00:11:05]Drop it in the comments. What do you want to see in version two? Because I want this to be a public project. I want your input to actually shape where this thing even goes. Because this is just the start. And speaking of where this goes, I've been thinking about what V2 looks like when I put this AI into an actual physical like robot body. And I've got two directions I could take it.

[00:11:28]Option one is a full animatronic robot like what you see here on the shelf.

[00:11:32]I've got lots of them up here. probably built off some sort of like Arduino board, Raspberry Pi, that type of situation. Option two, though, I'm kind of more excited for, which would be a digital robot aquarium that sits on your desk that octai could float in throughout the day. It would have a built-in mic, ambient sound, if I add that. Something that just like lives on your desk and is always there to talk to you throughout the day. I think that would be pretty cool. But I genuinely don't know which way to go. So, let me know down in the comments again, and I will let all of you guys decide where this project goes. Also, quick shout out to Pub Jesus for the mic. I'm going to leave a link down in the description below if you'd like to get your own. So, go check it out. Now, I will keep you all updated as this project moves forward. And in the meantime, there are some awesome robots and tech reviews coming each week here on Eric's Tech World, where tech and adventure meet.

[00:12:19]I'm going to throw a video right up here of my robot Star Wars party from last week. A lot of you guys seem to have liked it, so go and check that out if you haven't seen it yet, or go watch it again. And I will see you guys in the next video. Later, nerds.