Developer uses Grok Bot to analyze camera hidden in plush toy
A developer found a circuit board and lens inside a plush owl and spent a week using Grok Bot to sort through 12 video clips, 7 audio files and 23 logged events.
THIS IS INSANE. MY KID’S PLUSH OWL HAD A CAMERA BEHIND ONE EYE I spent a week using Grok Bot to analyze what was on the circuit board I found inside. On the seventh night, I opened a video file showing the room where we kept the toy. It started with a reflection. From across the room, both eyes looked pitch black. Up close, I noticed a tiny circle behind the plastic of one eye. I shone my phone’s flashlight on it—the circle remained. I pulled out the batteries and tore open the seam. Tucked behind the stuffing was a small circuit board, with wires running toward the face and a lens positioned exactly where that circle had been. I’m a developer, so I told myself I’d spend just an hour figuring it out. Seven evenings later, the owl was still lying in pieces next to my keyboard. My first attempt to probe the device failed. I checked the connections, saved a memory dump, read it again, and compared the two copies. Then, I began sifting through the files using Grok Bot. → 12 video clips → 7 audio files → 23 logged events I kept searching for an explanation—something that would make me feel foolish for having been worried in the first place. Then, I opened the camera settings: trigger=low_light The event log showed this: 03:14:07 → low light detected 03:14:07 → recording started 03:14:12 → recording stopped I opened the corresponding five-second clip. I recognized the curtains before I recognized the angle. The camera was looking out from the shelf where we’d put the owl. The video compresses that entire week into 35 seconds. Breakdown below ↓
This post quotes another post: x.com/crangerus/status/2112229483956634111