Matty Benedetto’s Buzz Buddy Slides Onto Your Beer Can and Gets Drunk With You One Sip at a Time

Matty Benedetto of Unnecessary Inventions just found a new way to turn a quiet night with a cold can into something that stares back at you. Out of his Burlington, Vermont studio he just finished invention number 469, a little digital pet he calls the Buzz Buddy that perches on top of any standard beer can and matches you drink for drink. The unit is a compact, egg-shaped screen housing with a pixel character already seated at a tiny desk, waiting. Once you crack the tab the figure stays put until the first tilt.

A small motion sensor concealed at the bottom of the can keeps track of each swig. Every time the can leaves the table, Buddy’s buzz meter starts ticking upwards. At first, the guy appears to be doing well, sitting up straight, but as the sips pass, he begins slouching, his demeanor changes, and he progresses through a series of increasingly sloppy stages. If you ignore the can for long enough, the buzz meter drains and he snaps out of it, returns to his normal posture, and simply waits for the next can lift. Benedetto devised the cycle so that the small boy never becomes entirely intoxicated on his own.

When you tap your phone’s screen, this little guy starts dancing. Swipe down for a stats overlay, which will show you the beers you’ve opened that session, the number of drinks he’s taken, and how many times you’ve made him bust a move. When you finally drain the last drop from the can, he transforms into his final form, and it’s rather amusing to see a person who doesn’t seem to want to leave the party ever again. The whole thing is built so that you can’t simply drink in silence.

Benedetto has spent seven years translating everyday jokes into full-fledged objects that seem like they belong in a storefront. Except for the occasional video, the majority of them never leave his studio. The Buzz Buddy follows the same pattern: 3D-printed shell, custom artwork, a functional sensor, and a presentation that takes the joke very seriously. He normally posts the finished item the same week he finishes it, usually in the form of a short video of the pet waiting, reacting, evolving, and celebrating the empty can.

Anyone who grew up with the original Tamagotchis will recognize the “care and neglect” loop. Simply drink to nurture it, then ignore it by leaving the beer alone. Swipe your device to check the ‘vitals’. Benedetto merely replaced hunger hearts for buzz meters and hanged them all on the one object you already had in your grasp.