From Concept to Creation: How Pi Sam Showcases AI Innovation at First Focus

AI Focus is a new series that explores how artificial intelligence is transforming the way we work and innovate. Each edition shares real examples of smart AI tools bringing creative ideas to life and helping us work smarter and think bigger.

In this first feature, we take a look at Pi Sam; a walking, talking, AI-powered robot built right here at First Focus. What started as one engineer’s side project has become a showcase of curiosity, coding, and creativity in motion.

This imaginative project was brought to life by Aaron Bycroft, a creative tinkerer whose curiosity turned into a full-blown robotics adventure. What started as a personal experiment has become a walking, talking AI-powered companion, complete with a screen for a face, a Raspberry Pi brain, and a healthy dose of personality.

The Spark: From Concept to Creation

The journey began in late September when the first concept image of Sam was generated using Google AI. Aaron wanted to give Sam a full body, with arms, legs, and a look that would make people smile.

Once the design felt right, the next challenge was to bring it into the physical world. Using a local instance of Hunyuan3D-2.1, Aaron rendered a detailed 3D model. The first version took several hours to complete, but the results were worth it. A second version soon followed, scaled up, fine-tuned, and fitted with mounts for both the screen and Raspberry Pi.

That’s when Sam truly began to take shape. What had started as an idea became a real, tangible creation, thanks to a blend of creativity, persistence, and a passion for tech.

Building Sam: 3D Printing, Coding, and Late-Night Tinkering

With the 3D files ready, Aaron began printing Sam’s components piece by piece. Once assembled, Pi Sam officially stood for the first time.

Powered by a Raspberry Pi 4 with 8GB of memory, Sam has more than enough processing power to bring its features to life, and then some. The entire system runs on around 350 lines of code, with the first 100 written by Aaron and the rest refined using ChatGPT Pro.

Sam’s expressive digital face was brought to life using Wan 2.2 Animate, which adds a surprising amount of personality to each facial movement.

Recently, Sam even made a special trip to the First Focus Brisbane office to meet the team and say hello to the newly formed Teal Pod. The visit was a hit!

Smarter Than It Looks: Voice Activation and Vision

Pi Sam isn’t just a clever design; it’s smart, too.

Using voice activation, Sam responds to the wake word “Hey Sam”, instantly triggering a live connection to the ChatGPT Realtime API in advanced voice mode. This allows for natural, back-and-forth conversations with the robot.

Sam also comes equipped with a camera in its forehead, which captures photos from its point of view. Every snapshot is saved in a folder called Moments with Sam, a charming touch that gives this AI robot a way to “see” and record the world around it.

Control at Your Fingertips

While Sam can think and talk, it can also be manually controlled.

Aaron built a simple yet powerful web interface for local control and a custom Python script for remote operation using a Steam Deck.

• Guide Sam’s movements
• Start or end interactions
• Capture photos on command

This control system gives Sam a truly interactive feel. It feels like part AI companion and part programmable robot. Best of all, Aaron designed and implemented the entire system himself.

What’s Next for Pi Sam

Innovation never stands still, and neither does Pi Sam.

Aaron already has big plans for the next version. Future updates will make Sam even smarter, more expressive, and more fun to interact with.

In true open-source spirit, Aaron also plans to share the 3D files and source code, allowing others to build their own version of Sam. It’s a great example of how accessible technology and imagination can combine to create something that feels straight out of science fiction.

Want to Meet Sam?

If you’re as curious as we are, you can reach out to Aaron to learn more about Pi Sam or even see it in person.

Projects like this remind us why innovation is so exciting. It’s not just about the code or the hardware. It’s about the creativity and curiosity that power it.

Sometimes, the best way to talk about technology is to let the robot do the talking!