🐢 Turtle: An AI Companion

🌟 Inspiration

I love pets—we all do. But not everyone has the ability or opportunity to have one. That made us think: what if we could build an AI pet?

An AI companion that not only plays with you, but also interacts with you, answers your questions, and keeps you engaged.

This idea became even more meaningful when we looked at real-world data. Studies show that 1 in 4 adults experience loneliness, which is linked to serious health risks such as depression and other chronic conditions.

We wanted to build something small, simple, and accessible that could act as a companion—bridging the gap between technology and emotional well-being.

🤖 What It Does

Turtle is a voice-controlled AI companion robot that can:

Respond to simple voice commands
Move around and follow instructions
Answer questions (e.g., weather, general queries)
Express emotions using motion
- Spins when "happy"
- Slows down when "sad"

It creates expressive interactions using only two-wheel movement, making it simple yet engaging.

🛠️ How We Built It

Hardware Module

ESP32-based microcontroller
Two-wheel drive system
Motors + motor driver
Display (for feedback/UI)

Software

State-driven control system:
- Listening → Processing → Acting
Voice + text input system
Chatbot integration using Gemini AI
Custom UI/App to control and monitor the robot

📚 What We Learned

Through this project, we gained hands-on experience in:

Designing and building a full-stack robotics system
Integrating:
- Microcontrollers (ESP32)
- Motors and motion control
- Displays and UI systems
Building a custom user interface to control hardware
Connecting AI (Gemini) for Robot Chatbot
Implementing state machines for behavior control