The Peek-A-Boo Teddy Bear by GUND is an affordable robotic bear that plays pre-recorded sounds. It has a motorized mouth to simulate talking and motorized arms that can lift a blanket to hide its face.

This guide will show you how to enhance the bear to make it do more than just play 'peek-a-boo' by tying it to OpenAI's ChatGPT API. Now you can speak to the toy and ask it questions, have it tell you stories, and more! Voice recognition is used to generate the prompts and then text-to-speech plays back the response

We do this by replacing the electronics inside with a Raspberry Pi 4, an Adafruit Motor HAT, and a couple of options for playing audio such as the MAX98357 I2S Amp and a Mini USB Speaker. The Raspberry Pi 4 will be running a custom Python script that interacts with multiple APIs including two from OpenAI and one from Azure. 

It takes inspiration from some iconic bear characters including a popular toy in the 1980s called Teddy Ruxpin that would tell stories while making prerecorded robotic gestures and movements. This project was also inspired by the toy bear from the movie A.I., which was advanced robotic companion designed to provide love and comfort to a child.

This project combines the best of both worlds to create a robotic bear that not only tells stories, jokes, and poems, but also interacts with you using natural language processing powered by ChatGPT. This technology allows the bear to respond to questions and engage in conversations.

By the end of this guide, you will have learned how to upgrade your own robotic bear with ChatGPT integration, gaining hands-on experience with robotics, programming, and artificial intelligence.

Parts

This project has a few options depending on how compact versus how easy you would like the project. Here are the parts you will need for either build.

The first thing you will need is a Raspberry Pi 4. This project will likely also work on a Raspberry Pi 3 if you skip the custom enclosure, but it has not been tested.

You may also be able to use another board, but it likely won't run Raspberry Pi OS, so the software setup will likely be significantly different and covering other boards is beyond the scope of this guide.

Angled shot of Raspberry Pi 4
The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B is the newest Raspberry Pi computer made, and the Pi Foundation knows you can always make a good thing better! And what could make the Pi 4 better...
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You will also need a motor HAT. The reason for the HAT over the bonnet is because more soldering points are available.

Angled shot of Adafruit DC & Stepper Motor HAT.
Let your robotic dreams come true with the new DC+Stepper Motor HAT from Adafruit. This Raspberry Pi add-on is perfect for any motion project as it can drive up to 4 DC or 2 Stepper...
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You will need this set of nylon screws and standoffs for the project.

Black Nylon Screw and Stand-off Set with M2.5 Threads, kit box
Totaling 380 pieces, this M2.5 Screw Set is a must-have for your workstation. You'll have enough screws, nuts, and hex standoffs to fuel your maker...
$16.95
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1 x GUND Peek-A-Boo Teddy Bear
The bear that you will be modifying
1 x Mini USB Microphone
You can use this or any USB microphone
1 x USB to 2.1mm Male Barrel Jack Cable
Cheap USB plug to wire option
1 x 3 Amp Battery Bank
10000mAh 5V 3A Battery Pack Charger

Easier Build Option

1 x Female DC Power adapter
For easily connecting USB power

Compact Build Option

1 x Mini Metal Speaker
Optional 8 ohm 0.5W speaker upgrade
1 x 100K Through-Hole Resistors
For reducing the gain on the amp

Optional Parts

These parts are optional, but enhance the project.

1 x Heat Shrink Pack
Heat shrink tubing to prevent wires from shorting
1 x Aluminum Heat Sink for Raspberry Pi
This fits perfectly under the motor HAT
1 x 2-pin JST SM Plug + Receptacle Cable Set
For easily disconnecting the foot button from the pi
1 x Wire Ferrule Kit
This helps in certain situations, but most of the wiring is too small gauge
1 x USB A Extension Cable
If you'd like to position the USB microphone better

This guide was first published on Apr 04, 2023. It was last updated on Mar 26, 2024.

This page (Overview) was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

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