A builder called JSK-koubou fit a functional IR blaster inside a walnut shell. The core hardware is an ESP32-C3 microcontroller paired with several infrared LEDs, all packed into the two natural hemispheres of a real walnut held shut by neodymium magnets. The USB port remains accessible through the seam.
This is not a novelty object. The walnut sits in a living room, connects to a home automation system over Wi-Fi via the ESP32, and fires IR commands at non-networked devices on demand. It is a working smart home bridge that looks like a nut.
The full build video shows exactly how JSK-koubou routed the LEDs and oriented the board to keep the port reachable. If you want to understand the spatial constraints of cramming functional electronics into a 30mm enclosure with no custom housing, that documentation is the reason to watch.
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