Pika Phone
OBJECT | 2026
I made a phone for my daughter.
It's very simple: lift the handset, press the button of whoever you want to talk to, and it calls their number. Friends and family can also call her, and the phone will ring. If she's not around, they can leave a message, which she can listen to by pushing the red button.
I like the autonomy that it gives her to call family and friends, and also how focused the interaction is, being voice-only + on a fixed location (vs facetime on a smartphone).
I've also added an option to call fictional characters from movies we've watched together, like Kiki or Totoro. They have a convincing voice, talk about their latest deliveries or things happening in the forest, and ask interesting questions. They also have memory so they can recall parts of previous conversations – it's pretty magical. That's done with the Gemini Live API, and I use a companion app to read transcripts and manage settings to make sure conversations stay safe and age-appropriate.
When I saw my daughter's face the first time she called Kiki, I knew there was something interesting there. But I'm still debating this feature, I'm not sure it belongs in the same box, or if it's needed at all.
This is a first prototype, currently considering making it a real product.
