"The core concept to both is this: Take a cutesy figurine and stick it onto a smart base with a speaker, microphone, and maybe a flashing ring of light or two. Then use an accompanying app to power a basic LLM chatbot based on the figurine, so you can talk to Albert Einstein about relativity, or Darth Vader about crushing dissident forces, with some fun wake words and a cheesy joke or two."
"Olli intends to launch HeyMates on Kickstarter later this year, starting with three figurines: Einstein, who chats about science and creativity; Zara, a tarot reader who gives advice with a hint of mysticism; and Chandler, a bold choice of name for a toy who "brings the dry, sarcastic charm of a '90s sitcom character," given the 2023 death of Friends star Matthew Perry."
AI-powered companion figurines combine collectible characters with smart bases containing speakers, microphones, and simple visual rings to enable interaction. Placing RFID-equipped figurines on a stand activates character-specific conversation driven by a basic LLM chatbot and an accompanying app. Olli, developer of BuddyOS, is launching HeyMates as its own line of interactive figurines and plans a Kickstarter release with Einstein, Zara, and Chandler as initial characters. Einstein focuses on science and creativity, Zara offers tarot-style advice, and Chandler delivers dry, sarcastic humor. The concept aims to revive the collectible-figurine market by merging physical toys with desktop conversational AI experiences.
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