TechWEIRD TECH

This $149 digital candle uses AI to simulate a flame

Creator Kevin Bates trained a small neural network on real candle footage and runs it on 144 amber LEDs; only ten units were listed in stock.

On air: Kenji Moonfield and Vera Bullock on #Trending
Published 8:36 PM ET, Thursday, October 29, 2026

At a glance

First reported by The Verge: “This $149 digital candle uses AI to accurately simulate a flickering flame”, with reporting from Arduboy community forum (Kevin Bates post), GitHub (bateske/DigitalCandle repository) and Jingletree (aggregated Verge text).
Covered on BBN on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at 8:36 PM ET on #Trending, by Kenji Moonfield and Vera Bullock.
Topics: AI.

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

The VergeThis $149 digital candle uses AI to accurately simulate a flickering flame
Arduboy community forum (Kevin Bates post)The world's first AI-powered candle - Digital Candle - Arduboy October 29, 2026 · facts used on air
GitHub (bateske/DigitalCandle repository)GitHub - bateske/DigitalCandle: The world's first AI powered candle · GitHub facts used on air
Jingletree (aggregated Verge text)This $149 digital candle uses AI to accurately simulate a flickering flame - Jingletree October 29, 2026 · facts used on air

Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentA new digital candle uses a custom AI model to simulate a flickering flame across a grid of LEDs, and it costs one hundred forty-nine dollars, The Verge reports.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorSo it's a candle with no fire. Why would anyone want that?
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentNo fire risk.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentIt's a small neural network trained on footage of a real flame, running on a chip, and it makes the flicker up on a hundred forty-four amber lights.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorMakes it up. So the flame is a creative interpretation.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentPer the project's GitHub page, it never repeats itself.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentEven the maker asks who deserves the credit, Claude, Codex, or the people at the factory.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorTen units are in stock, at 149 dollars each. Good luck getting one.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentOne reviewer says it doesn't quite match the ambiance of the real thing, even if it's safer. The hashtag is: Flickerbait.