SmartDeco.ai
Founded: March 2016 Role: Founder Status: TBD Category: Internet-of-Things Medium: Projectors What it did: "A talking, singing pumpkin"
Overview
SmartDeco was not what you'd expect from the ".ai" domain. Ted's own description: "a talking, singing pumpkin." The product used projector technology to animate physical objects — projecting faces, voices, and animations onto real-world items like pumpkins. This is IoT and physical computing, not a software platform.
The presentation slides include video timestamps, suggesting demo videos of the product in action.
Significance
SmartDeco shows Ted's range — from web platforms to physical products. It also connects to his lifelong interest in making technology feel magical rather than technical. A pumpkin that talks and sings is pure delight engineering.
The Obsidian vault contains a note "Charles Huang - SmartDeco Mfg" suggesting there was a manufacturing component and a partnership or consultation with Charles Huang.
Open Questions
- Was this commercially available or a prototype/project?
- What projector technology was used?
- Who was Charles Huang and what was his role?
- Did this lead anywhere — licensing, further products, or wind down?