There are all kinds of smart devices on the market these days, but if you want one to solve a particular personal problem, sometimes it’s easiest to just build your own. That’s precisely what [hvermaak.projects] did when it came to the Ouma Ria Smart Clock.

The clock was primarily intended to act as a useful tool for providing medication reminders, before some extra useful home functionality was folded in. The heart of the build is an ESP32-WROOM-32 hooked up to four 8×8 WS2812B addressable LED panels acting as a display. A further 30 WS2812Bs in a strip act as a status indicator. A DS3231 real-time-clock module ensures the clock keeps accurate time, while a BH1750 ambient light sensor makes sure the clock is responsive to current lighting conditions. There’s also a DFPlayer Mini audio module for spoken announcements and chimes, while there are inputs for AM312 passive infrared motion sensors that allow the clock to act as a rudimentary security monitor. There’s even a web interface for control and scheduling.

The device ultimately evolved into something that helped with daily live, handling everything from medication management to remembering birthdays, and even helping out with kitchen timing tasks.  We’ve featured some other innovative builds in this space in recent years, too, like this explosively loud alarm clock.