Make: Volume 91 in Bloomington, MN

In this issue of
Make:
we make friends — literally! Build your own companion robot with a Raspberry Pi 5, and then give it a voice using AI and a
large language model
running locally. No internet required! Or keep it simple and build a friendly bot with a micro:bit and a few servos.
Next, get an overview of the latest new dev boards, including offerings from Adafruit, Seeed, Sparkfun, Pimoroni, and more, that use Raspberry Pi’s second-gen, double dual-core RP2350 chip. And, get started with new Arduino libraries and example projects for cheap ESP32+LCD boards.
Special Bonus — Make: Guide to Boards 2025
You know Raspberry Pi and Arduino, but the waters run deep for microcontrollers and single board computers. From wearables, to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, to AI capabilities, we show you 77 new boards that have exactly what you’re looking for to power your next project.
Plus, 38+ projects:
Embed tiny mirrors and mesh into your 3D prints to create sparkling fabrics
Build an autotune kazoo
Make a battery using your favorite sports drink
Laser cut a creative ski chalet birdhouse for your feathered friends
Use an Arduino for professional looking DMX lighting
Make a walk-in camera obscura to project the outside world inside (and upside down)
Expose spy tech with the budget K18 Bug Detector
And much more!