A Tamagotchi-Like Gadget for Household Objects: The Fridge Gets Bored and the Heater Gets Frustrated

OATs is a small add-on device that gives everyday objects expressive characters based on sensor readings. On the researchers' project page, an office refrigerator gets bored when unused, while a space heater becomes frustrated when it heats an empty or overly warm room.

Users describe the object and select sensors such as temperature, motion and light to set up its character and behaviors. The project comes from researchers at Carnegie Mellon University.