Last Saturday, a YouTube creator named ‘ChromaLock’ was able to connect Texas Instruments’ popular graphing calculator TI-84 to the internet and run OpenAI’s artificial intelligence model ChatGPT. Here are the details…
Is ChatGPT now the world’s best cheating tool?
ChromaLock started the project by examining the connection port of the calculator, which is usually used for educational programme transfers. He then designed a special circuit board he called the ‘TI-32’. This circuit board contains the Seed Studio ESP32-C3, a Wi-Fi enabled microcontroller available for about $5, and other electronic components.
In the video shared by the famous YouTuber with the title ‘I Made the Best Cheating Device!’, the possibility of students using this modification to cheat on exams is also mentioned.
The TI-32 device developed by ChromaLock is not a commercial project, but it has shared its design and the components used for the device on the internet. Therefore, those who want can purchase the necessary parts and produce the special circuit board and apply the modification to their own calculators. However, it is also noted that this requires serious electronics knowledge and experience.
Stating that he faced some technical difficulties in the project, ChromaLock said he developed several different versions to overcome engineering problems such as voltage mismatches and signal integrity. As a result, the calculator looks unchanged from the outside.
One of the tools provided by the modification makes it possible to interact with ChatGPT. However, typing long questions on a calculator keypad is quite cumbersome and time-consuming.
Other features include an image browser for accessing visual material and an app browser for playing games after the exam. In addition to these features, it is noteworthy that ChromaLock has stated that it has plans for a camera integration in the future…