Headshot of Nick Pinkus

Nick Pinkus

Creative Technologist

Themed Entertainment • Robotics & Animatronics • AI Integration • Smart Home & Access Control Systems

"Everything becomes possible through technology"

About Me

Professional Summary

From building websites to programming large-scale projection shows, Nick Pinkus has always worked at the intersection of technology and imagination. What began as a fascination with illusions and large-scale performances grew into a career exploring show systems, AI integration, and immersive effects. His projects often blur the line between art and engineering — 3D-printed mechanisms powering lifelike motion, AI systems delivering unexpected interactivity, and networks orchestrating experiences with precision.

Each creation reflects the same drive: to make complex systems disappear behind a seamless, almost magical moment for the audience.

Full professional details are available upon request.

Selected Projects

In-House AI

J.A.R.V.I.S. — The In-House AI Assistant

J.A.R.V.I.S. (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System) is Precipice Industries’ always-on assistant — a locally hosted AI that ties together voice, vision, home automation, and project operations. Built to be fast, private, and resilient, it runs on-prem within the lab and orchestrates everything from research prompts and document drafting to lighting cues and show playback.

The system grew from a simple voice node into a full stack of services: wake word detection, streaming STT/TTS, a local LLM for reasoning, tool integrations for Home Assistant and Node-RED, and a small fleet of ESP32/Pi devices acting as satellites around the space. What started as an experiment is now the backbone for daily workflows and creative prototypes.

Learn more by checking out Project J.A.R.V.I.S..

Architecture Snapshot

  • Core: Proxmox VM with GPU passthrough; Ollama hosting the primary LLM
  • Pipelines: STT/TTS services with wake-word via Home Assistant integration
  • Orchestration: Node-RED for routing, retries, and guardrails, device integrations, and coded logic
  • Home & Show: Home Assistant integration; MQTT and API communication; WLED with Art-Net/DMX endpoints; xLights & Falcon Player-integrated show control system
  • Satellites: ESP32/Raspberry Pi devices for mics, buttons, and BLE beacons
  • Vision & Detection: Cameras, mmWave & IR sensors, BLE presence
  • Privacy: Local inference first; cloud only when explicitly requested; network access carefully monitored via Proxmox VM host

Creative AI Personas

SYNRG

Virtual K-pop Idols used for songwriting and narrative world-building. Each SYNRG idol runs a distinct personality core through Project J.A.R.V.I.S., giving them unique voices that shape their creative process.

Check out SYNRG and stream the debut album, written by Noa Akiyama and produced by Precipice Industries!