T-Rex Successful, Slightly Famous, Autistic Adult

A girl in a polka-dot shirt, seen from behind, playing Bunny Feeding Frenzy with her eyes at the R.O.A.R. eye-tracking station at Maker Faire

#UNOQDreamLab contest entry

We built an eye tracker on an Arduino UNO Q

A standard webcam, an Arduino UNO Q, and a game about feeding bunnies. Look at a bunny and you aim at it — no hands needed. At Maker Faire, 125 people sat down, trained it with their eyes and made 2,413 throws. It even speaks for you, right on the board, with no cloud. Next stop: helping people who can’t use their hands talk with their eyes.

Could you do us a favor? Click through to our project on Maker.io and, if you can, give it a 👍 thumbs up (the like button by the title, free DigiKey login). Every like helps more people find it.

See our project & give it a 👍 →

“There are those with greater need.”

I’ve said the exact same thing myself, and it was true at the time. But if someone hadn’t convinced me to take the help, then no one would have been helped. You can help the person in front of you easily — but you can’t help the person you never meet, no matter how great their need.

So tell me what you think you need, so I can build you one now. Here’s the thing: the people with the greatest need are exactly the ones who can’t tell us what they need. They can’t describe what would help or what gets in their way. You can. Everything you tell me — what you’d use, what gets in the way, what’s awkward, what doesn’t work yet — shapes what gets built next and makes the device better and more reliable for the people who will never be able to ask for those things themselves.

By accepting one, you’re not taking it from them. You’re helping me build it for them.

— T-Rex

Fresh off the workshop

The six most recent updates. Older items live on the All News page.

T-Rex at the R.O.A.R. booth under the Successful, Slightly Famous, Autistic Adult banner

Speaking · Jul 2026

New: “Built This Way” — my talk & story

From world records to giving voice — a new page telling the whole story, and I’m now available for presentations and panels. Autistic, ADHD, dyslexic, and the case that with the right tools, neurodivergent people can accomplish amazing things.

Read Built This Way →

🏆 Editor’s Choice · Maker Faire 2026

Back from Bay Area Maker Faire

It was amazing. I got to spend time with two of my daughters, and to meet, talk with, and be interviewed by Massimo Banzi, co-founder of Arduino. Over 100 people trained my Arduino UNO Q eye tracker, two tables of interactive assistive devices ran all weekend with nothing breaking — and we received an Editor’s Choice award.

The eye tracking is my entry for DigiKey’s #UNOQDreamLab — full write-up on Maker.io. 👍 Please give it a thumbs up!

Faire recap → Maker.io project → Eye tracking

Almost

10,000

Subscribers

YouTube · @but_Idigress

YouTube · Oct 2026

Almost 10K on YouTube!

We’re about to hit 10,000 subscribers on our YouTube channel, and that is amazing! I have a bunch of videos in the works, but I’m getting ready to move. I’ll have a little bit of a YouTube studio setup at the new place to make it easier. But in the meantime — busy, busy!

Help us hit 10K →

Personal update · Sep 2026

Life’s been a rollercoaster since Open Sauce

Well… my life has been a rollercoaster since Open Sauce. Open Sauce itself was amazing. I’m now taking ADHD medication and it’s making a serious difference — strangely, my vision has more resolution and it’s much easier for me to process what people are saying to me. I also had a fantastic long weekend with my daughters. We passed 5,000 subscribers on YouTube (I owe you some videos — coming soon). And I’ve biked over 140 miles for cancer research this month.

The downside: I’ve been fighting my apartment management for a month, and my productivity has been way down. Trying to climb out of automaton-productivity mode. This will resolve after Bay Area Maker Faire — but unnecessary stress, and it just won’t resolve. Thanks for being here through both halves of the ride.

YouTube channel → BAMF 2026

Open Sauce 2026 · Booth visit

Destin Sandlin from Smarter Every Day stopped by the booth

Destin swung by the R.O.A.R. booth at Open Sauce — great conversation about the T-Rex Talker, the Sip-N-Puff, and the Rubber Chicken Challenge. Several new videos will be posted this week.

Open Sauce 2026 page →

Bunny Feeding Frenzy gameplay — SCORE 413 LV 3, a fed bunny floating up and two bunnies on the ground

Live on Google Play · Free

Bunny Feeding Frenzy is live on the Play Store

Debuted at Open Sauce 2026 alongside the T-Rex Rubber Chicken Challenge. Now live on iPhone too — free, no ads, by yours truly. It’s even fun ;P

Best of all: in the stim version you throw carrots by saying “Pew.” (Enable tilt + voice in Settings.) “Pew” to throw — how cool is that?

Get it on Google Play → Get it on the App Store →

See all news & past updates →

Involuntary nonverbal individuals needed MVP Test Group · 10 spots

Formerly known as selective mutism.

Help me build the Minimal T-Rex Talker V3

Tell me what you need — what would help, what’s missing from what’s out there, what your day looks like — and we’ll build a better device together. From prototype to “production” your thoughts and ideas matter and will make a better device for those people whose thoughts and ideas I can not receive yet.

T-Rex Talker V2 working prototype — **Working V2** — the current proven build.

T-Rex Talker V3 render — **Coming soon V3** — what we’re building for the MVP.

Sign up for the MVP → Or email main@tssfaa.com

Take the MVP survey → Read the device documentation →

Just shipped · Working alpha/beta

Sip-N-Puff is up and running

A working alpha/beta of the open-source sip and puff switch is built and has been used to operate the T-Rex Talker V3. One build, many purposes — the same hardware will reconfigure for many uses (USB mouse, two-switch keyboard, Xbox Adaptive Controller input) by editing a plain text file on the device’s USB drive. No reflashing, no IDE.

Sip-and-Puff in use driving the T-Rex Talker V3 — **In use** — driving the T-Rex Talker V3.

Sip-and-Puff alpha/beta prototype with live sensor readouts — **Alpha/beta prototype** — live pressure sensors and on-screen HUD.

Read more about Sip-N-Puff → GitHub →

Side quests

Things we built on the way to something else

Small projects, games, and tools spun off from the main builds. Up to six at a time on the home page.

Live on Google Play · Free

Bunny Feeding Frenzy

Born from needing a baseball cap to test the 9-axis sensor on the Sip-N-Puff. Found a knock-off Open Season cap — so a Duck-Hunt-style game was the obvious next step. Part of the autistic stim interactive software, and actually pretty fun.

Free on Android & iPhone — no ads, by yours truly. Stim edition, Windows, and Linux versions coming next. In the stim version you throw carrots by saying “Pew” (tilt + voice in Settings). It’s even fun ;P

Google Play → App Store → Game docs

Restoration · Jay Leno’s Garage

1914 Detroit Electric (again)

I’ve been asked back to work on Jay Leno’s 1914 Detroit Electric. A few pictures from the tour — the last slide is from the previous round of work in 2015.

First video is up — a quick walk-around from the garage. More coming.

Watch on YouTube →

Schedule for 2026

Month

Activity

Location

March

Abilities Expo Los Angeles — Attending Accessibility Expo

Long Beach

April

Traveling to Thailand (Connect with Chiang Mai University and vacation)

Thailand / Chiang Mai University

April

Los Angeles Maker Faire — Booth at Los Angeles Maker Faire

Los Angeles

July

Open Sauce Festival — Booth at Open Sauce again

San Mateo

September

Maker Faire Bay Area 2026 — Booth at Bay Area Maker Faire again

Vallejo

Journey to Open Sauce 2026

R.O.A.R.

T-Rex Talker V3, the Head To Head Rubber Chicken Challenge, and the open hardware behind it all. Come build with us in San Mateo.

Read the full story →

Open source · 6 repos and growing

Every project, every device — on GitHub.

From the T-Rex Talker to the sip-and-puff switch to the firmware in between, every line of code and every hardware file is public. The list keeps growing.

Browse repositories →

Introduction video

A quick look at what we do and why.

Production prototype review — 4 boxes, 1 core

Getting ready for the next version / production prototype. Feedback would be appreciated.

Read the design document →

Events

Where we’ve been & where we’ve set up shop

Fundraisers, faires, and festivals. Up to six at a time on the home page.

Upcoming · Sep 25–27, 2026

Bay Area Maker Faire 2026 — Mare Island

Applied for a double booth to bring the T-Rex Rubber Chicken Challenge and the interactive communication demo. Improving the R.C.I.P. between now and September, and giving out free chickens to the first players.

See the plan →

Community · Fundraiser

Autistic Fundraiser outside Julian, CA

Community event for autistic individuals near Julian, supported by our partner American Legion Post 468. Brought devices to demo and started fresh builds in response to requests at the event.

About Post 468 →

Maker Faire · Apr 2026

LA Maker Faire 2026

Booth at Los Angeles Maker Faire — so busy didn’t take many photos. Press All the Buttons! Direct interaction with AAC devices and conversations about building assistive tech.

Photos → Maker entry →

Open Sauce · Jul 2025

Open Sauce 2025

Three days in San Mateo. Devices on hand, conversations, a Sauce+ feature, and a short clip from the floor. Set the foundation for the R.O.A.R. push at Open Sauce 2026.

Photos → Video → Short →

Next device — working name “MacD”

Minimum full assistive communication device.

Status

Working prototypes are running — and they shaped Version 3 hardware

MacD is more than a sketch. We have working prototypes in hand, and the lessons from those builds fed directly into the Version 3 hardware we’re actively working on now. What started as the minimum full assistive communication device has become the foundation of our next-generation T-Rex Talker.

Overview

The device measures 80mm (3 inches) square and features large 12mm buttons, a compact (likely monochrome) screen, an audio amplifier, and support for a rechargeable battery. Designed to work with the Raspberry Pi Pico 2, also compatible with the original Pico. Includes connectors for integration into a larger system.

Use cases

Ideal for developers as a development board or as a compact emergency lanyard device.

Estimated cost

At quantities of 25, the PCB with components and battery is estimated at $25 USD per unit (not including potential tariffs).

Optional upgrade

For a few dollars more, a larger color screen could be used. Would require additional space and possibly some redesign.

Next steps

I have some coupons available and I’m considering using them to build this board — unless another project takes priority.

Form factor

Square with large buttons, or smaller with rotary encoder? Rotary encoder can just be smacked for a distress message...

Support & sponsors

Where the parts — and the goodwill — come from.

Charity build · In progress

We are building 30-50 Autism Stim Devices with American Legion Post 468

Autistic-stim variation of the V3 hardware. PCBs are on the way, plastics are designed, and a Build A Stim Device instruction set is coming soon.

See the project & support us →

Other ways to support us

Prefer to support the broader project (not just the stim batch)? These go directly to T-Rex / TSSFAA.

Ko-fi

tssfaa

One-off support — buy us a coffee, a connector, or a screen.

Patreon

TSSFAA

Monthly support — helps fund parts and travel between events.

GitHub

mkadie

Every device, every line of code, every hardware file — open source.

Our sponsors

Filament partner

Prusa Research

Has agreed to provide us with some of our filament needs.

prusa3d.com →

PCB partner · V2

JLCPCB

Provided the PCBs for the V2 hardware.

jlcpcb.com →

SendCutSend

Metal partner

SendCutSend

Laser-cut sheet metal partner — supplying the metal parts for the R.O.A.R. Rubber Chicken Challenge booth build.

sendcutsend.com →

+

Available

Plenty of room here

Filament, components, PCB fab, sheet metal, printing, event costs — there’s always a next build waiting on parts. If your company can help, we’d love to talk.

Become a sponsor →

Featured video

“There are those with greater need.”

I’ve said the exact same thing myself, and it was true at the time. But if someone hadn’t convinced me to take the help, then no one would have been helped. You can help the person in front of you easily — but you can’t help the person you never meet, no matter how great their need.

So tell me what you think you need, so I can build you one now. Here’s the thing: the people with the greatest need are exactly the ones who can’t tell us what they need. They can’t describe what would help or what gets in their way. You can. Everything you tell me — what you’d use, what gets in the way, what’s awkward, what doesn’t work yet — shapes what gets built next and makes the device better and more reliable for the people who will never be able to ask for those things themselves.

By accepting one, you’re not taking it from them. You’re helping me build it for them.

— T-Rex

Stay in touch

Need a device? Have information to share? Want to volunteer?

Whether you can use a device, build one, fund one, or just want to talk — reach out. Sign up to the mailing list, or send us an email at main@tssfaa.com. Mailing-list members get build updates, event announcements, and the occasional behind-the-scenes — low volume, easy to unsubscribe.

Sign up for the mailing list → Contact us