I'm looking for a compact screen that can display typed text, emoticons, and simple animated faces—something similar to the robot faces in the video game Stray. Do displays like this already exist, and what would be the best place or approach for finding one?
4 Answers
If you’re comfortable with a little DIY work, inexpensive ESP-based screens are worth considering. They can run simple animations and display different facial expressions without needing a full computer.
Small HDMI displays are easy to find, and HMI screens can also be inexpensive. The right choice depends on the size, shape, viewing angle, resolution, and whether you need buttons or other external input. If you want the screen to react to buttons or sensors, check that the tablet or display controller supports the necessary connections.
Adafruit and Digi-Key carry lots of small OLED, LCD, and other programmable displays. A small OLED paired with an Arduino or Raspberry Pi is probably the easiest starting point for showing custom text and expressions.
For the simplest setup, an old Android tablet or phone could work well. You could use an app, slideshow, or custom program to show the faces, and it avoids having to build the display driver and graphics system yourself.
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