✦ New Year, New Bot

A proposed developer livestream series

New Year,
New Bot

Tiny robot. Big plans for 2027.

What if a tiny desk robot had a .NET brain? We’re exploring a playful, hands-on build that brings StackChan, .NET, AI, and agent technologies together.

Explore the sessions View the repository

Coming soon: the project, demos, and learning resources are in progress. Stream dates, channel, and collaboration details are proposed and not yet confirmed.

Concept visualization of an expressive desk robot wearing a party hat on a festive developer desk
Concept visualization of the proposed desk-companion experience.

Three episodes, one build

From tiny robot to helpful agent

Each session adds a layer, starting with the physical robot, then building its .NET-powered backend, and finally exploring agent capabilities.

Proposed series Three sessions Streaming details to be confirmed
Episode 01 · Robot + .NET

Bring Your AI Desk Robot to Life

Episode 1 of 3

Meet StackChan, the little AI desk robot at the heart of the series. Program expressions and movements with a little C++, then connect it to local ASP.NET Core services for a first end-to-end interaction.

StackChan · C++ · ASP.NET Core
Episode 02 · Backend + AI

Build Its AI Brain with .NET and Aspire

Episode 2 of 3

Build and orchestrate the backend with .NET and Aspire, connect an AI model through Microsoft Foundry, and use Microsoft Agent Framework to shape the companion’s tools and behavior.

.NET · Aspire · Foundry · Agent Framework
Episode 03 · Agent + Context

Give Your Bot an Agentic Brain

Episode 3 of 3

Explore extending the companion with GitHub Copilot SDK and WorkIQ for relevant Microsoft 365 context. Use controlled demo data to turn useful updates into thoughtful responses and expressions.

Copilot SDK · WorkIQ · Synthetic demo data

The session order and themes are a working proposal. Schedule, times, streaming channel, and collaboration details will be shared once confirmed.

The proposed design

A tiny robot, with a .NET brain

The robot handles sensing and expression. A local .NET backend coordinates behavior, AI services, and observability, with clear boundaries around private work context.

Proposed architecture: StackChan connects over Wi-Fi to an ASP.NET Core and .NET backend. RobotHub manages behavior and robot controls, a work agent can use Microsoft Agent Framework and GitHub Copilot SDK, Microsoft Foundry supplies AI models, and WorkIQ is proposed for read-only Microsoft 365 context. Aspire provides logs and traces.
Proposed desktop-phase architecture, not a diagram of a completed or deployed system.

01 · The expressive edge

StackChan runs C++ firmware and connects over Wi-Fi. The first goal is a simple, reliable link for expressions, gestures, and service responses.

02 · The .NET brain

ASP.NET Core services own the companion’s behavior and controls. Aspire helps run the services together and inspect application health and traces.

03 · AI, with guardrails

Foundry and agent technologies are proposed for later episodes. Work-context demonstrations start with synthetic data; private details stay out of public robot alerts.

Project status: this is an evolving design. Hardware behavior, AI integrations, WorkIQ access, and the livestream plan require validation. Early demos can use a simulator and synthetic data so viewers can follow along without a device or work-account access.

Curious what a desk bot can do?

Follow the public repository for project updates, episode resources, and the build as it takes shape.

Visit the GitHub repository