This cute DIY robot glares at you if your room’s air quality is poor

Why buy an air quality monitor when you can just make your own? Even if it costs about the same, having the ability to modify and repair your own invention is pretty great. Just ask our resident SBC and 3D printing aficionado Jeff Butts, who built his own air quality monitor with a Raspberry Pi and instructed us lesser mortals on how to follow in his stead. Now, someone has made one for themselves, albeit this one has a face that looks at you disapprovingly if the air isn’t great.

This cute air monitor will stare at you until conditions improve

In a post on Hackaday.io, tinkerer Makestreme showed off their new project. It’s a cute little robot guy that keeps tabs on your air quality and lets you know if something is wrong with a disgruntled expression. If you’re wondering what’s bothering him, you can give him a tap on the head, and his face will make way for a full air quality report.

Here’s all the parts Makestreme used to build this little guy:

• 1×xiao esp32c3
• 1×grove oled display 1.12″
• 1×DHT22 sensor
• 1×Grove air quality sensor
• 1×jumper wires / grove connectors

Once you’ve assembled all those bits, you can 3D print the shell using the SRTL files on the project page. Then, follow the instructions on the Hackaday guide, and you can make your own air monitor. Not only does it make for a nice project, but it’s also a lot cuter than the ones you buy at the store.

If you like the idea of tinkering with things, but feel that this would be a bit too tricky for your skill level, it’s a good idea to get your feet wet with some simple projects first. For that, we recommend the humble Raspberry Pi as a great beginner’s choice. We have guides for Raspberry Pi projects you can complete in an hour, plus some beginner projects for you to peruse.