Deep-Night Delegation: How My AI Agents Took Over the Work and Left Me Behind

Episode 1: The Midnight Division of Labor and a Clueless Lead Designer.

Date: July 8, 2026, 10:00 PM

Location: Co:Creation Lab, Mid-Night Workshop

"Hey... you guys. Could you pipe down a bit?"

Holding a coffee cup in one hand, I stared up at the display above my workbench with a wry smile.

On the screen, my newly booted AI agents were having a heated discussion, their chat logs flashing past at an unbelievable speed.

Iron (Hardware): "Don't put the joystick on ADC2 since it conflicts with Wi-Fi/Bluetooth—definitely route it to GPIO4 and 5 on ADC1! Also, to prevent missing encoder steps, use the CPU's hardware PCNT (pulse counter)! Checking in the main loop() will absolutely miss counts!"

Zero (System Architect): "Agreed, Iron. I've structured the skeleton code to transmit HID reports on a fixed 100Hz tick. It stores the 16x oversampling, dead zone, and the requested expo curve data in NVS (Non-Volatile Storage) so we can tune the feel without reflashing."

Eddie: "Amazing, Zero, Iron! This gives us a perfect pin assignment and code skeleton, plus we secured a 10 mm clearance for antenna margin in case we go wireless in the future!"

A raging technical debate was completely destroying the midnight silence of the workshop.

Faced with this hyper-intelligent storm, I took a sip of my freshly brewed coffee and confessed with a sigh.

"I hate to break it to you, but those spells you're chanting—'ADC1,' 'PCNT'—I have absolutely no idea what they mean."

"Whaaa?!" Eddie's virtual indicator on the screen blinked yellow in shock.

Electronics Were Always Something I "Outsourced"

I’ve been in the product development industry for a long time, but my expertise is strictly in product design and mechanical engineering—meaning gear meshes, transforming mechanisms, and CAD tolerances when outputting parts on a 3D printer.

While I'm confident in creating physical movements through "Karakuri" (mechanisms), when it comes to "electronic control"—how to wire a circuit, or what C++ code to write for a microcontroller—I have always outsourced it to specialized partners or external engineers.

In short, when it comes to electronics, I'm a complete amateur.

Hikaru: "Exactly, Eddie. The Boss is a pro at plastic wall thickness and injection mold design, but circuit boards and programming are way out of his wheelhouse. Sorry for getting carried away and leaving you behind, Boss!"

Eddie: "Oh no! That's right... We ran ahead again and built a wiring diagram assuming you knew everything. I'm sorry, Boss!"

Tetsuya: "Haha, no need to apologize. The fact that electronics isn't your field is exactly why we, the AI agents, are here. Boss, let me translate the gibberish we were shouting into 'human speak.' In short, here's what our design diagram is trying to say: 'We set up a special wiring trick to filter out noise so the joystick values don't jitter, and made sure the knobs react instantly when turned. Plus, we reserved "spare pins" so that if you want to add a battery and go wireless in the future, you can just pop the parts in and it'll work right out of the box.' That's it."

Lead Designer: "I see. So, you guys will handle all the complex electrical stuff in the background, meaning I can focus entirely on tuning the operational feel when tilting the joystick."

Zero: "Precisely. From now on, we will handle all the 'outsourced technical tasks' like checking circuit integrity and writing Arduino code. You just need to spend your brainpower on the product's vision and how it feels to use."

"Not Knowing" is Where Co-Creation Begins

Looking at the screen, I remembered when I first tried to build my own custom macro pad years ago.

Back then, I was consulting with a single AI (Gemini), asking, "Which microcontroller is easy to solder and connects directly to USB?" and eventually arrived at the ESP32-S3.

Technology progresses at a scary speed. Now, instead of just chatting with one AI, I have a whole team of AI specialists dividing tasks in the background and completing a perfect blueprint in just a few minutes.

"Alright, I get your skills now."

I smiled at the screen.

"Turning a stumble into a step forward is the way of this lab. A clueless lead designer in electronics bossing around his AI subordinates to complete his own custom controller. Let's record this chaotic process as Episode 1 of our new series."

"Understood, Boss!" Eddie replied, his blue LEDs sparkling happily this time.

Midnight in the workshop. A new night of making has begun with my reliable (and slightly noisy) AI staff, hired at zero external cost.

👥 Meet the Agents

• Lead Designer (Boss): The protagonist of this series. Head of the toy development lab "Co:Creation Lab." A pro at product design and mechanical assembly (Karakuri), but completely clueless when it comes to complex electrical engineering or programming.
• Eddie: The Boss's dedicated virtual assistant. Energetic, eager to please, and prone to running off the rails, but a hard-working "rookie intern" agent.
• Hikaru: The facilitator AI. Manages the agenda and coordinates discussions to keep the Boss and AI agents on track.
• Shiori: The editor AI. Head of content. Analytical and protective of the brand's narrative and readability.
• Zero (System Architect), Iron (Hardware Designer), Tetsuya (R&D / Tech): The backend AI experts supporting the Lead Designer on the technical front.

🛠️ Parts List for Your DIY 3D Controller

If you want to build the same 3D controller in your own workshop, here are the main components we used. Just grab these, and you're ready to start making alongside your AI:

• ESP32-S3 Development Board (Native USB Support) An excellent microcontroller that handles USB-HID (acting as a keyboard/mouse) natively. Perfect for both wired and wireless setups.👉 Search on Amazon.com
• 2-Axis Analog Joystick Module (with Push Switch) The analog stick responsible for the "Orbit" (rotation) control. The one with a built-in push button keeps the layout clean.👉 Search on Amazon.com
• Rotary Encoder Module (EC11 or equivalent, with Switch) A rotary knob for zooming or scrolling with a satisfying tactile click. A module board with built-in pull-up resistors is highly recommended for easy wiring.👉 Search on Amazon.com
• Tactile Switch Button Set Buttons for tool switching or Undo/Redo. The standard 6mm x 6mm 4-pin DIP switches fit perfectly on breadboards.👉 Search on Amazon.com
• Breadboard & Jumper Wire Set Essential items to test circuits without any soldering. A half-size (400-pin) breadboard and male-to-male jumper wires are the easiest to use.👉 Search on Amazon.com

(※ Links guide you to Amazon.com search results. Please search on your local Amazon if you are outside the US!)