Simone Giertz Builds a Synthetic Parent That Is Proud of You... for a Quarter

Many people go through life desperately seeking affection and approval from their parents, yet never seem to be able to find it. Maybe you’re estranged, or maybe your parents just aren’t nice people. Whatever the case, you probably crave a nice pat on the back from your dad or for your mom to tell you she’s proud of you. Simone Giertz decided to take matters into her own hands and built a synthetic parent to do exactly that — so long as you feed it a quarter.

Giertz is bouncing between her home and her workshop while she self-isolates, and made this build one of her quarantine projects. The idea is simple: put a quarter into the robotic parent, and it will respond with an approving pat on the back and some words of affirmation. This is largely a woodworking project, as the “parent” is constructed from lumber. No realistic-looking android parents here, unfortunately. Some of those wood parts were laser-cut, while others Giertz cut by hand.

The bulk of the build is the torso, which contains the coin-op mechanism and a chamber to hold all of those sweet, sweet quarters that Giertz will collect from those in need of attention. The front of the torso is covered in beautiful wood veneer designed to look like a business suit — just like the kind your absent father used to wear. A metal arm, repurposed from a lamp, is mounted to side of the torso and is actuated by a motor via a chain drive. The hand at the end of the arm is also made from laser-cut wood. Giertz even got Adam Savage, of Mythbusters fame, to record “I’m proud of you, son!” so that you can hear his soothing, dignified voice whenever you need parental approval.