This $149 digital candle uses AI to accurately simulate a flickering flame

<figure> <img alt="A close-up of the Digital Candle’s grid of LEDs." data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Image: Kevin Bates" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/candle.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">After engineering a <a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/881175/red-bull-media-house-game-pop-bulletin-magazine-playable-tetris-flexible-display">flexible version of <em>Tetris</em></a> that could be wrapped around a magazine, Kevin Bates' latest creation is a digital candle that uses a custom AI model to accurately simulate the appearance of a flickering flame across a grid of LEDs. It's a far cry from the types of devices Bates is typically known for, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/939782/arduboy-fx-c-arduino-handheld-hands-on">including the Arduboy</a>, but paying $79 for a credit card-sized handheld that can play hundreds of games is an easier sell than a $149 digital candle that doesn't quite provide the same ambiance as the real thing, even if it's much safer.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">At the top of the 10-inch tall Digital Candle, which is <a href="https://www.arduboy.com/shop/p/digital-candle?color=black" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.arduboy.com/shop/p/digital-candle?color=black">available now with a black or white …</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/1022113/kevin-bates-arduboy-digital-candle-ai-simulate-flame">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>