Maker Jack Of All Tech built a fridge magnet powered by AI that could read a handwritten note to update the shopping list on a smartphone. The idea was to have a device on his refrigerator that would let him write stuff, get it recognized using AI, and send that information to a phone using an API call.
The maker sifted through various hardware options before finally settling on a 2.8” ESP32 Touchscreen Display by ELEGOO. The display supports touch input, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and everything else the project needed. Notion API dealt with real-time updates to the shopping list. Using Autodesk Fusion 360, a custom case was designed to fit the touchscreen, stylus, and battery neatly. The design was 3D-printed using a filament that resembled wood for visual appeal. The maker’s wife even added texture to it using acrylic pens. A magnet slapped on its back finished the assembly.
Before starting with code, the maker installed the ESP32 board package on the Arduino IDE. He then tested the display, touch input, and storage and made sure they worked correctly. At first, being light on memory, the ESP32 could not carry out the AI integration on its own. After experimenting with a local n8n server as a temporary solution, he was able to get the ESP32 to handle everything on its own. As a final detail, the device was made to display a simple slideshow while idle.
