Remembering the adorable pig decoration I gifted my girlfriend years ago, which she was not interested in, I transformed it into a Valentine’s Day gift which is both sentimental and useful.

This was inspired by my girlfriend’s need for attention—or every girlfriend’s need for attention. The squeezable pig sends me a notification when she gives it a loving squeeze.

How it works

The pig houses an ESP32 development board and an infrared sensor. It detects squeezes and sends notifications to my phone over Wi-Fi. A touch button at the bottom allows switching between illumination and gradient light modes.

Technical Stack

  • TinyPICO ESP32 development board coded with Arduino
  • SR602 infrared sensor and 2x KY-009 LED light
  • Pushed.co REST API notification service
  • FreeRTOS for sending HTTP requests while managing the heartbeat light effect
  • Power consumption: Approx. 1400 mAh per 24 hours standby and several notifications sent
Inside the pig is a self-designed, 3D-printed case to house the ESP32 board and wires.
Touch button utilizing ESP32 capacitive touch GPIOs at the bottom and holes for ventilation.