This $149 digital candle uses AI to accurately simulate a flickering flame

# This $149 digital candle uses AI to accurately simulate a flickering flame Source: [https://www.theverge.com/tech/1022113/kevin-bates-arduboy-digital-candle-ai-simulate-flame](https://www.theverge.com/tech/1022113/kevin-bates-arduboy-digital-candle-ai-simulate-flame) [](https://www.theverge.com/authors/andrew-liszewski) Andrew Liszewski is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid\. After engineering a[flexible version of*Tetris*](https://www.theverge.com/tech/881175/red-bull-media-house-game-pop-bulletin-magazine-playable-tetris-flexible-display)that could be wrapped around a magazine, Kevin Bates’ latest creation is a digital candle that uses a custom AI model to accurately simulate the appearance of a flickering flame across a grid of LEDs\. It’s a far cry from the types of devices Bates is typically known for,[including the Arduboy](https://www.theverge.com/tech/939782/arduboy-fx-c-arduino-handheld-hands-on), but paying $79 for a credit card\-sized handheld that can play hundreds of games is an easier sell than a $149 digital candle that doesn’t quite provide the same ambiance as the real thing, even if it’s much safer\. At the top of the 10\-inch tall Digital Candle, which is[available now with a black or white circuitboard](https://www.arduboy.com/shop/p/digital-candle?color=black), you’ll find 144 amber\-colored LEDs arranged in a 9 by 16 grid with adjustable brightness\. On the other end is a USB\-C port for supplying power \(a rechargeable battery isn’t included\) and an Espressif ESP32\-S3 chip that runs an AI model with a tiny neural network trained on footage of a real flickering candle\. The flame simulation never repeats and is unique to each candle since it’s being generated on the fly at all times\. It’s not a pre\-programmed animation set to loop so the results look very convincing, or as convincing as they can be on a low\-res grid of LEDs\. The Digital Candle is also open source so you can repurpose it as a clock, a notification screen, or run other simulations like[Conway’s*Game of Life*](https://conwaylife.com/)\. That could potentially make its $149 price a little easier to justify if you like to tinker\. [](https://www.arduboy.com/shop/p/digital-candle?color=black)[](https://www.arduboy.com/shop/p/digital-candle?color=black) **Follow topics and authors**from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates\. - Andrew Liszewski