What happened
The Verge’s Sean Hollister built a functional AI wearable for about $50 using a Waveshare ESP32-S3 1.75-inch touchscreen pendant and Claude Code, replicating much of what Meta promises with its upcoming Muse Charm. The device connects to Meta’s Muse AI cloud via the company’s open-source gadget SDK, and Hollister used Claude to add features Meta’s own build lacks: a conversation history page, text-to-speech via ElevenLabs, a remote camera shutter, and a Tamagotchi-style minigame with hunger, boredom and dirt mechanics.
Why it matters
The experiment highlights how AI coding assistants can close the gap between a basic hardware kit and a polished consumer product. Hollister, who has no coding experience, completed features like a working pocket watch face with three hands in about 15 minutes. The project also raises questions about whether consumers who buy Meta’s Muse Charm will get the same freedom to reprogram the device.
What to watch
Hollister cautions that he cannot vouch for the quality of the AI-generated code, and he kept the device on guest Wi-Fi over security concerns. Meta’s Muse Charm has not yet shipped, so it remains unclear whether it will match the programmability of a development kit. The story also surfaces broader questions about AI hardware privacy after a reported leak of a reviewer’s home address via Meta’s AI.
The episode suggests that dedicated AI hardware may matter less than the ability to program it.