I built 2,000 badges for Replay and I’m not sure I’ve slept since December

Candace, the Head of Design at Temporal, proposed a project to create interactive badges for the annual developer conference, Replay, which led to an ambitious undertaking involving manufacturing and programming challenges. The badges, far more advanced than typical conference badges, were designed with an ESP32-S3 microcontroller, OLED screen, joystick, and various sensors, allowing attendees to interact, collect connections, and engage with hidden games and features. The initiative was a collaboration involving hardware consultants and manufacturers in Shenzhen, overcoming logistical hurdles related to production and component sourcing. Notably, generative AI played a crucial role in the firmware development, aiding a developer with no prior experience in C firmware to successfully execute the project. Open-source and intended for continued use beyond the conference, these badges foster ongoing engagement and innovation among users. The project, inspired by DEF CON badges, reflects a deep appreciation for creative engineering and aims to expand further in future iterations with more integrated functionalities, showcasing Temporal's commitment to community-driven tech exploration.