An eight-year-old boy from India named Laksh has built an offline AI storytelling device that costs just Rs. 760 (approximately $9). The device uses an ESP32 microcontroller to generate, narrate, and animate stories without requiring any internet connection or cloud services.
Laksh customized the open-source TinyStories LLM for the ESP32 platform. The original model already supported offline story generation, but the young developer added voice interaction, playback controls, and on-screen animations to enhance the user experience. The source code is available on GitHub, allowing other developers to replicate or improve the project.
During a live demonstration, Laksh spoke the command “Make a funny story,” and the device quickly generated a new story, read it aloud, and displayed simple animations on its screen. It also responded to commands such as “play,” “pause,” “resume,” and “next story.”
Laksh noted that the next step is to improve the text-to-speech engine, as the English voice currently sounds basic. Despite this limitation, the project demonstrates how low-cost hardware can run AI locally without relying on online services.
This achievement highlights the potential of open-source AI and affordable hardware to empower students and young creators. Offline AI devices like this one could be especially valuable in schools and regions with limited or unreliable internet access.
Laksh’s project proves that big ideas and simple tools can lead to impressive results without significant financial investment.
