A Real Walnut Shell Becomes a Remote Control for TVs and Appliances
An IR Blaster Project, In A Nutshell
A real walnut shell has been turned into an IR blaster by packing an ESP32-C3 and infrared LEDs inside. The shell is split along its natural seam and fitted with small neodymium magnets so the two halves can be opened and closed.
The walnut sits in the living room and connects to a home-automation system over Wi-Fi. When it receives a command, the LEDs inside transmit infrared signals to control appliances that do not have their own network connectivity. It was built by JSK-koubou.
Instead of buying a discreet enclosure for a home-automation IR transmitter, the electronics were hidden inside an actual walnut. The remote sitting in the living room is now literally a nut.