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Yes—Penny’s wrist communicator from Inspector Gadget has been recreated as a working DIY wearable. Becky Stern’s tribute uses an Arduino Nicla Voice board, an Edge Impulse-trained keyword model, a 1.69-inch IPS TFT display, a small LiPo battery and a 3D-printed case. Say come in, Brain
, and the watch recognizes the phrase and displays an image of Brain. It is a convincing functional homage, not a commercial smartwatch or a literal recreation of every cartoon capability.
A fictional smartwatch before smartwatches
Penny, Inspector Gadget’s niece, used a wrist-worn communicator to contact Brain. Calling it a “smartwatch” is a modern comparison rather than a fixed specification from the cartoon: the watch’s abilities changed from episode to episode, depending on what the story required. Its enduring idea is simple—a compact wearable that responds to speech and provides a visual communication effect.
That makes it an unusually good maker-project target. Modern microcontrollers can perform keyword spotting locally, small displays can serve as a watch face, and 3D printing can turn a development assembly into a recognizable prop.
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Stern’s build, documented in the Instructables project “Penny’s Computer Watch (from Inspector Gadget)” and covered by Hackster News, follows a short event sequence:
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- Embark on a thrilling adventure where you play as the legendary Inspector Gadget and save Metro City from the grip of Dr. Claw!
- Explore the iconic Metro City and complete quests and challenges in Solo mode.
- Discover 16 fun mini-games inspired by the Inspector Gadget universe!
- Have fun with family and friends in Multiplayer mode.
- Enjoy the superb soundtrack from Tanis Chalopin, the daughter of Inspector Gadget's creator, Jean Chalopin.
- The device listens through its microphone.
- An embedded model classifies incoming audio and looks for
come in, Brain.
- When the phrase is recognized, the display changes.
- A picture of Brain appears on the screen.
There is no documented cellular connection, live camera feed, two-way video call or communication with another physical device. The visual response is a prepared image, which is enough to reproduce the recognizable cartoon interaction without building a networked phone.
Hardware inside the watch
| Part | Role |
|---|---|
| Arduino Nicla Voice | Main embedded board, including the hardware used for local voice and machine-learning applications. |
| Adafruit 1.69-inch IPS TFT LCD | Watch face that shows the response image. |
| Small LiPo battery | Portable power for the wearable assembly. |
| 3D-printed enclosure | Holds and presents the electronics as a watch-like case. |
| 3D-printed band | Articulated strap; lengths of filament are used to retain the links. |
The Nicla Voice is development hardware, not a finished smartwatch module. Expect exposed electronics, enclosure constraints and the need to handle firmware, charging and mechanical fit yourself. The reported display size is 1.69 inches; the available coverage does not establish a resolution, battery capacity or runtime.
Where Edge Impulse fits
Edge Impulse was used to train the voice-recognition model. Training material included Stern’s own voice and an audio clip of Penny saying the command. The model therefore learns acoustic patterns associated with one target phrase and runs at the edge, on or close to the wearable, rather than sending every recording to a cloud assistant.
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That distinction matters:
- Keyword spotting: detecting the documented phrase.
- Speech understanding: interpreting arbitrary language, which this project does not demonstrate.
- Communication: sending or receiving live audio or video, also not demonstrated here.
A small model can feel magical when it reliably triggers the Brain image, but its behavior depends on its training data and surroundings. Noise, reverberation, speaking distance, volume, accent, pronunciation and similar-sounding phrases can all cause missed detections or false triggers.
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- 6 Functions for all of your spy missions day or night.
- Special 'Spy' features include LED Spot Light & Telecope Lenses
- Watch comes with secret message drop capsules - put your message inside and secretly communicate with your fellow spies!
- Other watch features include: time, emergency whistle, and a signal mirror to see behind you. It unfolds to reveal a secret hiding compartment.
- Collect all SpyX toys for the ultimate spy play experience.
Cartoon impression versus DIY reality
| What the fiction suggests | What the documented build provides |
|---|---|
| Contact Brain | Recognizes a phrase and displays a Brain image. |
| Video-call-like interaction | No confirmed live video calling; the output is a prepared visual response. |
| Voice activation | Yes, for the trained phrase come in, Brain. |
| Compact wrist device | Yes, though it is built around development hardware and a printed enclosure. |
| General-purpose assistant | Not demonstrated; this is a focused keyword detector. |
| Commercial product | No. It is a maker tribute project. |
The most accurate description is “a functional homage.” It recreates the interaction that fans remember, not every plot-dependent feature of Penny’s fictional watch.
Could you build one?
The original Instructables instructions are the appropriate starting point for exact wiring, firmware, print files and setup details. A prospective builder should be comfortable with:
- Programming and flashing an Arduino-class embedded board.
- Collecting audio and deploying a small Edge Impulse model.
- Connecting and driving a color TFT display.
- Designing, printing or commissioning a fitted enclosure and band.
- Charging and mechanically protecting a LiPo cell.
Do not treat the project as a beginner costume craft. A battery, display and development board can make a surprisingly bulky watch, and a printed case is not automatically waterproof, impact-resistant or skin-safe.
Battery and wearable safety
Use the battery and charger manufacturer’s instructions. Insulate conductive parts, prevent the cell from being punctured or crushed, and leave a safe mechanical arrangement for charging and heat dissipation. Do not wear the device if the LiPo is swollen, damaged, unusually hot or loose. A sealed enclosure that traps a damaged cell is a serious hazard.
Rank #3
- Spy Labs Incorporated's activity kits and equipment provide an engaging and interactive way for kids to learn about detective work, including forensic analysis and tracking techniques.
- The 9-in-1 Spy Watch offers a variety of functions to help young detectives-in-training to investigate their cases.
- Features include: time and date, alarm clock, stopwatch, timezones, built-in magnifying glass, red film and special notepad for secret messages, flashlight, special capsules to send covert messages to fellow agents, and an alarm system with vibration sensor!
- Promotes pretend play as kids ages 6 and up take on the role of detective, setting out to unravel mysteries one tough case at a time.
- Become a first-class secret agent with Spy Labs, the Detective Gear Experts; your trusted source for all your essential spy tools and gear!
Copyright and distribution
This is a fan tribute to a copyrighted character and franchise. A personal cosplay or hobby build is different from selling branded replicas, distributing character artwork commercially or implying endorsement by the rights holders, Arduino, Adafruit or Edge Impulse. Commercial use may require permission.
Three practical ways to approach the idea
1. Follow the Nicla Voice design
This is the closest route to Stern’s concept: local keyword recognition, a self-contained display and a purpose-built printed case. It offers the strongest maker authenticity but requires the most electronics and fabrication work.
2. Make a prop-only version
A button, prerecorded sound and small display can reproduce the appearance without machine learning. It is cheaper and easier, but it gives up the signature voice-triggered interaction.
3. Hide a phone or use a modern smartwatch
A phone in a costume enclosure can provide genuine video calls, cameras and mature speech recognition. A smartwatch app can be more convenient still. Both trade away the self-contained, from-scratch electronics that make Stern’s build interesting, and they depend on platform permissions, battery behavior and (for calls) network access.
Rank #4
- Magnifying Glass
- Luminous Large Digital Dial
- Light green dial with bronze case
- 3ATM Waterproof
- Come with Gift Box and Chain
A Raspberry Pi or ESP32 remake could add richer graphics, networking or camera input, but generally brings greater power consumption, boot time, software complexity and enclosure volume than a focused voice-development board.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the project still matters
Penny’s watch was speculative interface design: speak to a small object on your wrist and receive an immediate visual response. Stern’s recreation shows how much of that illusion can now be produced with accessible maker hardware. On-device machine learning supplies the trigger, a tiny TFT supplies the “screen,” and 3D printing supplies the prop-like form.
The achievement is not that a cartoon smartwatch has become a fully networked product. It is that the most memorable part of the interaction—say the line and see Brain—can be made real in a compact, understandable build.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Penny’s Inspector Gadget watch available as a commercial smartwatch?
No. Becky Stern’s version is a DIY maker project documented on Instructables, not a finished product sold by the franchise or a smartwatch manufacturer.
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Does the recreation make a video call to Brain?
The documented behavior is local keyword recognition followed by displaying an image of Brain. No live two-way video call is established.
What phrase activates the watch?
The reported trigger phrase is “come in, Brain.” The Edge Impulse model was trained for that phrase rather than for general conversational commands.
The Bottom Line
Penny’s watch is real in the maker sense: a Nicla Voice, trained keyword model, TFT screen, battery and printed case reproduce its signature voice-to-Brain interaction. It is a clever functional tribute—not a commercially available smartwatch or a live communication system.
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