Our modern day devices are a bit too smart which is why when it comes to exams, schools typically only allow certain preapproved electronics like scientific/financial calculators. These calculators are smart in the sense that they can pull off a ton of calculations, but due to the fact that they are offline, it makes it rather difficult to cheat with it.
Or are they?
In a video (that has since been made private) uploaded to Neutrino’s YouTube page, it shows how the humble Casio scientific calculator that you will find in the hands of many students has been hacked to do more than it appears. For starters, the solar panel used to help charge the battery and power the calculator was removed and in its place is a tiny OLED screen.
Neutrino also went several steps further by cracking open the device and including a WiFi module that would allow the calculator to connect to the internet, where it will be able to pull pre-uploaded data from the Firebase mobile development platform. There is even a very basic chat feature that uses a clever combination of magnets and sensors that lets the user chat and navigate the menu.
The end result is that upon first glance, the calculator looks like nothing has changed, but under the hood, it is the ultimate cheating machine. This is by no means a simple hack that every student can pull off, but it is a fun and interesting one. Considering how innovative students can get when it comes to cheating in the exam, we wouldn’t be surprised if some were to take some inspiration from this to create their own.