Texas Instruments launched the TI-84 Plus a decade ago, a calculator that continues to dominate the education market.
Recently, hardware hacker ChromaLock enhanced this device with a new hack, equipping it with internet access, ChatGPT integration, and more advanced functions.
Dubbed TI-32, this modification vastly expands the calculator’s original capabilities, raising concerns about its potential for academic cheating.
The mod integrates an ESP32 C3 microcontroller to mimic another TI-84, facilitating Wi-Fi connectivity. This enables discreet access to ChatGPT, complex problem-solving, and web browsing, all without obvious alterations.
Educational institutions are troubled by the TI-32 mod’s ability to evade standard anti-cheating measures.
Available on GitHub, ChromaLock insists the mod serves educational, not deceitful, purposes.
Nevertheless, its ability to circumvent exam security poses ethical dilemmas.
The modification also allows viewing colour images, altering Wi-Fi settings from the calculator, and downloading apps from a specific server.
In a demonstration, ChromaLock displayed how the mod can solve math queries through ChatGPT and fetch instant vocabulary definitions.
He hinted at forthcoming apps, including a camera app, and invited users to develop and share custom apps.
