The Pi Pico is great, but your project might be easier with an alternative.
Specialized RP2040 boards expand possibilities beyond Raspberry Pi Pico A comparison of RP2040-based boards shows how tailored designs can better serve specific applications than the standard ...
Building an automated attendance system using ESP32-CAM is a practical, affordable way to solve this problem for classrooms, ...
There are lots of smart home systems that will let you blast your older dumb appliances with infrared to control them.